Kingdom Hearts: Sayian Kitsune Chronicles
by Solar Soldier
Summary: When Gohan's home is attacked by heartless,he ends up in Traverse Town with Sora, Donald, Goofy, and... Naruto? rated T for later content. Now in Kingdom Hearts X-overs
1. The Timid Warrior

A/N: I'm starting fresh with this one. There were a lot of places that I messed up or done something I shouldn't have. I'm not saying I regret taking away Gohan's Sayian powers, despite the fact that some people really liked whining about it. Hell, I'd do it all again. But I will admit I made a mess of things. So here you are. A fresh start from me to you. =)

Chapter 1: The Timid Warrior

The night was calm and warm. A melody of sounds came from a number of the nocturnal wildlife in the forest. Everything seemed to be in perfect peace. Except, of course, for a boy who sat on the tallest tree, sulking. **"Ugh, are you doing **_**this**_** again?" **His alter-ego said with disgust.

Gohan drew his knees to his chin and buried his face in his arm. "Leave me alone…" Gohan said weakly.

He didn't feel like arguing. He never did. It had only been two years since his dad had trusted him to protect the Earth while he was gone, but how could he? He was nothing but a wimp. Oozaru had had enough. **"You're a disgrace! All you do is mope and complain! You're no hero, you're a wuss!" **he berated him.

Gohan said nothing. He stood up and stared up at the sky for a long time. "You're…you're right." He said finally. "I'm not helping anyone as I am now. I need to get stronger somehow…"

"**That's a little better. Now that I've finally gotten my point through to that thick skull of yours, we need to get off this planet. We'll never get anything done with that suffocating mother." **Oozaru said.

"But what about my friends—"

"**Friendship is a weakness. Besides, they'll only slow you down." **

"But—"

Gohan stiffened, hearing a noise below him. He dropped down from the tree landing on his knee. He stayed low and walked through the foliage, following the mysterious noise. It sounded like someone was saying something, but even with Gohan's remarkably superior hearing, he could catch bits and snatches.

"He's weak…"

"The protector of the universe…"

"What a fool…"

"He might not even survive…"

Gohan followed the voices all the way to a door, connected to a mountainside. "What's a door doing all the way out here?" He asked himself.

"This door has been opened."

Gohan jumped and whirled around. "Yikes!" He said surprised.

"The heartless have found this keyhole. This world is as good as gone." A man in a brown robe continued.

"Wh-who are you? What are you talking about?" Gohan asked, confused.

"There is no time." He said walking up to him.

Gohan's eyes went wide with shock as the man struck him in the chest. The energy in his body left him, and he fell to the ground. "If you wish to save your world, you must unlock Kingdom Hearts…"

* * *

Gohan awoke sometime later. The man was long gone, and he was alone again. **"Ugh, who was that bastard…"** Oozaru said groggily.

Gohan stood up. "I…don't know…" Gohan said shaking his head.

Suddenly, a shadow formed at his feet and rose from the ground. Gohan scooted back frantically into the door. He looked up at the door, then back at the creature._ "The heartless have found this keyhole. This world is as good as gone."_

"A-are these what he was talking about!" He asked, alarmed.

The number of shadows began to multiply greatly as they began to surround him.** "We'll worry about that later. Right now we need to destroy these freaks." **Oozaru said.

Gohan fired energy blasts at them, which seemed to work except for the fact that they multiplied with each one he destroyed. "This isn't working!" He said, panicked.

In an act of desperation, he cupped his hands to the side of his hip. "Kame…Hame…" He thrusted his arms forward. "HAAAAAAA!" A larged blast shot from his hands, obliterating a great many heartless, but overall having no effect.

It was like trying to drill to the center of the earth. No matter how much he tore through them, there were more behind. Gohan shut his eyes, moments away from being suffocated by darkness. "I won't let this happen…I can't…" The darkness had him. "I REFUSE!"

A bright light shined through the darkness, expelling it completely. Gohan opened his eyes and looked around. He felt something sit heavily in his hand and looked down. It was key-like weapon, a green thick handle and a open-mouthed dragon on its end. It glowed briefly again. "The light…it chased the darkness away…" Gohan said marveling at the blade-like weapon.

One word found its way into his mind. _Keyblade…_ Gohan held it up. "Is that what this is?" He asked.

He suddenly found himself being sucked into a hole where the door had been previously. He recovered quickly raising his arms to protect himself from dirt. He could barely contain his horror as watched the earth literally falling apart. There was a crash, and Gohan turned around quickly. "What the…?" He whispered looking up slowly.

A giant heartless with small angel wings stood before him, fist pulled back and ready to attack. Behind was a huge ball of dark energy, where everything was being sucked in. Gohan backflipped to avoid its fist. Its hand went the ground darkness surrounding. The lesser heartless sprouted actively from the ground and closed in on Gohan. **"Ignore them, go for the leader!"** Oozaru advised.

Gohan complied, leaping over the heartless and slashing its wrist. The fist pulled out of the ground and it got down on its knees, putting his head to the ground to look at him. **"Finish it now!"** Oozaru growled.

"Okay!" Gohan responded charging forward.

He brought the keyblade up over his head and swung down vertically. The giant heartless reared back taking a few steps backward before being sucked into the dark vortex. Gohan kept himself planted firmly on the ground. The intensity of the vortex increased, forcing him to fly against its pull. Then a thought occurred to him. His world was being torn apart before his eyes, and it was only a matter of time before it was gone. **"Don't even think about it." **Oozaru threatened.

"What's the point? We can't fight this forever. We might as well…" He stopped flying, the vortex sucking him in quickly. "Accept it."

* * *

A/N: Not bad for the first chapter. I might have the next one up soon


	2. Chance Meeting

Chapter 2: Chance Meeting! A Drastic Turn of Events

_Poke Poke. _"Mmn…"

_Poke Poke Poke. _"Come on, kid wake up." The girl said.

Gohan groaned.

"Argh, come ooon…" She whined.

"Noooo…five more minutes…" Gohan whined back.

Yuffie bristled. "What! Grr, what do I like, your mom or something! WAKEUP!" She shouted standing and kicking him in the head.

Gohan's flew open as he sat up abruptly, holding his head. His vision blurred as he rubbed the spot where he'd been kicked. "Okay…Ow…" He said closing his eyes again.

Yuffie looked down at the foot she kicked him with, which was screaming with pain. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "OwOwOwOwOwOwOw!" She yelled, jumping up and down while clutching her foot.

The kid was literally hard-headed. She whimpered, feeling her foot swell. She glared at the boy. "This is all your fault!" She said childishly, as if it weren't her own fault for kicking him in the first place.

Gohan slowly stood up and turned to face the girl. He took one look at the girl's short khaki pants, dark green tanktop, yellow scarf, and orange boots…And snickered. "What are you wearing?" He asked, trying hard not to laugh.

Yuffie narrowed her eyes and kicked him in the face, sending Gohan into sitting position holding his nose. Tears formed in the corners of Yuffie's eyes as she went back to her foot. _'Kicking with the same foot. Bad idea. Really bad idea.'_ She thought as Gohan stood up again.

"What's your problem!" Gohan snapped, still holding his nose. It wasn't bleeding nor was it broken, but it still hurt.

"You're a jerk! That's my problem!"

"What did I do? You kicked me in the head! TWICE!"

"I wouldn't have kicked you if you weren't such a jerk!"

"You're the jerk!"

"Baka!"

As the two went back and forth, neither of them noticed dark spots appear on the ground. From those spots, heartless sprouted from the ground until they were surrounded. It wasn't until then that they noticed. "Who cares if I kicked you? You probably kick puppies in your spare time!" Yuffie yelled.

Gohan didn't respond, instead having a horrified look on his face. Yuffie's look of anger dissipated into one of confusion. "Eh? What's the matter? Come on, Mr. Sensitive, I didn't really…Oh…My…Gods…" She said as she looked over his shoulder.

Light flashed in Gohan's hand, leaving a keyblade in its place. Yuffie and Gohan looked at the dragon-like key, then at each other. Yuffie grinned. "You're him."

Gohan blinked owlishly. "Nani?"

Instead of answering, Yuffie pulled out a small shuriken that grew ten times its size. "You might wanna duck." The girl advised.

Gohan obeyed as she flung it at the Shadows, destroying most of them. Gohan quick stepped behind her and charged the ones at her flank. He brought his keyblade down in a diagonal slash, taking two of them. He did a 360 degree turn, using the momentum to make a fierce horizontal slash, taking several more of them. "Oi, Kid! Heads up!"

Gohan jumped as the giant shuriken flew under him. A split-second idea came to him as he landed on the shuriken, arms outstretched. He spun wildly, shifting his weight on the shuriken to steer himself. He mowed down any remaining heartless before crashing into a wall. Falling flat on his back, Gohan stared up at the sky as his keyblade disappeared. "Everythin's spinning…" He slurred, swirls replacing his eyes.

Yuffie helped him up, shaking him violently. "Ugh…Thanks…" He mumbled, feeling a little better.

"No prob." She said, a large grin plastered on her face.

Gohan shifted uncomfortably. "Ah, Er…Why are staring at me like that."

Yuffie giggled. "Oh Nothing."

'_I found him! I actually found him! Leon's going to be _so_ impressed!'_ Her eyes sparkled at the thought of his approval.

Gohan snapped his fingers in her face. "Hey…Earth to…Whatever-your-name-is…You there…" He said, snapping her out of her reverie.

She facepalmed. "Oh, duh. I completely forgot. My name is Yuffie Kurisagi. I'm a Grand Ninja." She said proudly.

Gohan resisted the urge to scoff. "I'm Gohan. I'm…eh, a martial artist I guess…" He muttered.

"Do ya know how you got here?" She asked.

"I'm not even sure I know what's going on…" Gohan responded.

Yuffie grinned. "Tell you what, Gohan. Come with me and I'll explain everything as best I can." She examined his torn clothes. "...And maybe some new clothes while we're at it. Sound like a fair deal?"

Gohan shrugged. Yuffie seemed pretty harmless despite seeming a little off kilter in the sanity department. Besides, he could use some new clothes, as well as some food. "Sure. Why not?"

"Right. Follow me." Yuffie said jumping onto a nearby box and climbing on to a building. Gohan flew off to follow her.

* * *

Gohan wasn't the only one having a rude awakening. A boy by the name of Naruto was resting soundly against a wall. "I don't think you should be sleepin' out here. You might get sick." A goofy sounding voice made Naruto stir.

"Not to mention heartless." The second voice, this one a weird raspy sounding voice, agreed.

Naruto grunted, opening his eyes slowly. Last he remembered was training, and now…He looked around at the bright lights of the small town that he was in, then up at the bell tower. "Where am I?" He asked the two blurry forms in front of him.

"You're in Traverse Town." The talking duck and dog told him simultaneously. Wait…what? Naruto did a double take and shrank back into the wall.

"The heck is going on here!" Naruto said, eyes as wide as dinner plates.

The two looked each other, then laughed. "That sure is a funny face." The dog chuckled.

Naruto took a few deep breaths. This was obviously a fever dream. He'd trained too hard and passed out. For now, he'd just roll with it. "So…Who are you guys?"

"The guys who saved your tail." The duck said loudly.

"I'm Goofy, and this here is Donald. We're looking for someone with a key. A-hyuk!"

Naruto stood up. "Key?" He repeated.

Donald elbowed Goofy hard. "He doesn't need to know that!"

Goofy scratched his head apologetically. "Gawrsh, Donald. I don't see any problem with it."

"Can I come with?" Naruto asked, not wanting to be left in this strange place.

"Fine. Just try not to slow us down. And don't get all jumpy and scared." Donald warned.

"Excuse me…"

Donald fainted at the sound of the voice from behind. The voice belonged to a timid looking girl in a pink dress. "Are you the king's men?"

* * *

"Come on you lazy bum, wake up." It was Kairi's voice that brought Sora to the surface of consciousness.

"Mmuh…Eh?" He said getting into a sitting position and shaking his head vigorously. He looked up to see his childhood friend standing over him with a concerned, but ever-so-sweet smile on her face.

Sora leaned back on the palms of his hands, looking down at himself. He was scuffed up a little, bruised, but otherwise fine. "I guess…" He confirmed.

"Those creatures that attacked you were after the keyblade. But it's your heart they really want, because you wield the keyblade." She said.

Sora was confused as to why Kairi was telling him this, or how she even knew all of this in the first place. But as of now he didn't care, he was just glad to see her. "I'm so glad you're okay Kairi." He said, smiling.

Kairi looked confused. "Kairi? Who are you talking about? I'm the Great Ninja Yuffie."

"Huh?" Sora blinked and rubbed at his eyes.

This girl was, in fact, not Kairi. She leaned in, looking him over. "I think you broke him Squall." She said.

"That's Leon." The man in the corner said.

"Why are you treating him so nicely? All I've gotten since I got here was a kick in the face." Gohan complained, pouting as he sat in the chair.

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "_Anyway,_ we had to get the keyblade away from you to shake off those creatures. Turns out, that's how they were tracking you."

'_They could have just said that instead of coming at me like muggers' _He thought. Granted, he probably would have refused anyway, but still.

"But it won't work for long. Still, though, hard to believe that two kids could be the chosen ones." He said taking Sora's keyblade and holding it outward. The keyblade disappeared and reappeared in Sora's hands. He looked at it in awe.

"Well…I suppose beggars can't be choosers…"

"Why don't you start making sense! What's going on here?" Sora said, growing impatient with the entire ordeal.

In the other room the very same conversation took place. "Okay, you know how there are other worlds besides your castle and this town right?" Aerith asked.

"Yeah, but their supposed to be a secret." Goofy responded.

Naruto, not knowing at all what was going on but wholly convinced this wasn't a dream, listened intently. "They've been secret, because they've never been connected. Until now." She explained. She closed her eyes, as if remembering something. "When the heartless came, everything changed."

Heartless…Naruto was sure he had heard that before.

"Heartless?" Sora and Gohan said at once.

"The darkness in people's hearts is what attracts them..." Yuffie said.

"And there is darkness within every heart." Leon finished.

"Say, have either of you heard of a guy named Ansem?" Yuffie asked.

"Ansem…" Naruto said, trying really hard to remember such a name. "Nope." He said with a shake of his head.

"He was studying the heartless. He recorded his findings in a very detailed report."

"Sounds important. Where is it?" Naruto asked.

"Its pages are scattered across different worlds." Aerith said.

"That…Figures…" Naruto said, unsurprised.

"We gotta find it quick!" Goofy exclaimed.

"Wait!" Donald interjected. "First we need the key."

Aerith nodded. "Yes…The keyblade."

"Key…blade?" Naruto repeated slowly.

"So…This is the key." Sora said holding the keyblade out in front of him.

"Exactly." Yuffie said.

"The heartless have great fear of the keyblade. That's why they'll keep coming at you, no matter what." Leon said.

"Well, I didn't ask for this…" Sora muttered.

Yuffie shook her head. "The keyblade _chooses _its master. And it chose you."

Sora jumped up. "Wait a minute! What happened my home? My island? Riku! Kairi…" He trailed off.

Gohan looked at him sympathetically. He walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. Sora looked up dejectedly. Gohan gave him a small smile. "We'll find them." He said in what he hoped was an assuring tone.

Sora smiled gratefully. The moment was short lived as a heartless appeared from nowhere. "Yuffie! Gohan! Go! Sora, Follow me!" Leon said, knocking the heartless clean through a window.

Gohan quickly followed Yuffie out the door, making their way to the street. "Figures that I'm the one babysitting the whiny kid." Yuffie huffed in annoyance, even though Gohan was actually leading.

Gohan stopped turned on her. As the keyblade appeared in his hands he charged her, and she just barely avoided a horizontal slash. He instead sliced through a heartless that had been gaining on her. Yuffie blushed at being so careless and glared at him. "A warning would've been nice!" She growled.

"Stay out of my way." Gohan said, annoyed. With that, he dashed ahead, leaving Yuffie dumbfounded at his change in attitude.

"What's his problem?" She grumbled, following his lead. She couldn't shake the feeling that for that brief moment, his eyes were completely different from the boy she'd first met. She filed it away in her mind as a conversation piece later on.

* * *

Gohan, Yuffie and Sora reconvened in a small area, having separated from Leon. "Where's Leon?" Yuffie asked worriedly.

"He's protecting the First District." Sora said, slightly out of breath.

Suddenly, there was an explosion from behind him. Before Gohan knew what was happening, he was on the ground, under the weight of a duck and dog. The looked up and saw Sora's keyblade. "The key!" The said in unison.

"Come on…Get off!" Gohan said throwing them off, only to be knocked down again by another crash lander. "Shimatta…" Gohan swore under his breath.

This one was a blond haired kid, wearing an orange jumpsuit, of all things. What really stood out were his whisker marks. He stood up, not realizing he was standing on Gohan. "Hey!" He said, grinning sheepishly.

Gohan threw him off as well. "That's getting old fast!" He growled.

A large rumble, shook the ground violently, Gohan half expecting something to pop out of the ground. Instead, A giant body of armor fell from the sky. Gohan narrowed his eyes. "Wait, if that's what caused the quake, how could it have done that falling from the—Whoa!" His deduction was cut short as he jumped out of the way of the ground exploding before him.

There were now two giant bodies of armor, both sporting black heart-shaped emblems on their chest. "You just had to question it. You couldn't leave well enough alone could you?" Yuffie berated him.

"You know what… Now that think about it, I really couldn't…" Gohan responded seriously.

He summoned his keyblade and the other kid pulled out a kunai.

Two gauntlets went straight for Gohan, who promptly vaulted over one and met the other head. He shoved it away as a foot came toward him, and he spun a 360 degree slash, destroying it. He charged the torso and attacked it. The keyblade rebounded harmlessly off of the suit. "Nani?" He cried in surprise, zooming right to avoid being stepped on.

He glared at the others, who seemed to be watching him do all the work. "You guys can jump in at _any _time. Now would be good though." He yelled.

This seemed to spur everyone into action, concentrating their energy on the one footed armor. Yuffie's giant shuriken glowed as she tossed it at the armor. It did some considerable damage to the hand, but once again not even scratching the torso. Gohan stood back for a second, thinking. '_Hmm…It's actually pretty simple. The smaller parts of armor are protecting its heart. Without the hands and feet, it's completely vulnerable…'_ He nodded.

"Oi! Guys! Attack the limbs first! When they're all gone, the body's vulnerable!" He called out.

The blond haired boy made a strange handsign. "**Kage Bunsihn No Jutsu!**" He shouted making about a dozen of himself

They all visciously attacked the legs, while Yuffie concentrated on its arms. Meanwhile Sora and the rest were holding their own against the other armor. Once Yuffie had destroyed its final body part Gohan leapt into the air, keyblade poised to throw. With a 'Hyah!', he threw it as hard as he could, the keyblade making a deadly whirring noise. It went right through it, at first showing no sign of damage. Then, a neat line in the middle of its torso made it clear that the attack had met its destination. In an explosion of light, a heart appeared and rose into the sky.

"Yeah! That was awesome." The boy cheered as the clones dissipated.

"I'll say. That was a pretty cool move…" He paused. "Say, what's your name anyway? Mine's Gohan."

"Naruto Uzumaki!" He said proudly.

"Naruto then. Cool move Naruto." Gohan said.

"You weren't so bad yourself." Naruto said with a grin.

Gohan laughed and rubbed the back of his head. He noticed Yuffie pouting off to the side. "You did great too Yuffie."

She smiled slightly. "Pfft, like I need you to tell me that!" She said.

Gohan laughed and took it as a weird sort of thank you. He looked over to Sora and the other two unknowns. The suit of armor they were fighting still seemed to be in one piece. "Is it dead?" Gohan asked.

"I dunno. Seems like it." Sora said.

"Sora, right? Take um…"

"Donald." The duck said.

"Goofy. A-hyuk!" The dog said.

Gohan stared at them. "_Right…_Take Donald and Goofy and go with the others. I wanna check this out."

He crouched over the armor as the others walked away. All of a sudden invisible walls flashed into existence, separating Gohan from the others. He jumped up and turned around. "What the!"

Gohan barely had time to react as he was stomped by a the foot of the armor. It continued to stomp on him, leaving an increasingly deep impression in the ground.

"Oh No!" Yuffie whispered, horrified.

The foot raised once more and brought itself down. _Crash!_

"Gohan!" Naruto called out.

_Crash!_

"Fight back already!" Donald demanded.

_Crash!_

_Crash!_

_Crash!_

_Clang! _The sound of Gohan's fist meeting the foot could be roughly compared to hitting a flagpole with another flagpole.

"_Now_ I'm angry…" He said quietly.

The ground shook slightly as rubble around him rose from the ground. The foot practically disintegrated in his hand and his eyes changed rapidly from black to green. The ground beneath him exploded as his hair flared upward, then fell forward again, now golden. His emerald green narrowed as the keyblade reappeared in his hand.

Without any warning, he moved forward and swung the keyblade in a fluent, lightning quick motion. Whatever shield that protected its heart was pure paper towel compared to Gohan's slash. Like the one before it, it exploded, a heart floating into the sky. The color of Gohan's eyes and hair faded back to normal, Gohan himself feeling a bit lightheaded. The beating hadn't really hurt him at all. It was the use of power that left him dizzy. He shook his head as everyone gathered around him. "How'd you do that?" Yuffie asked, amazed.

Gohan shrugged sheepishly. "I, Uh…Don't know?" He said with a nervous grin.

Yuffie narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to speak before being interrupted by Naruto. "However you did it, it was awesome!" He exclaimed.

"It sure was something." Leon said walking up to them, Aerith in tow.

"Where'd you go?" Gohan asked, a little irritated that he hadn't showed up to help.

"He went to protect the First District, remember?" Sora reminded him.

"Sorry I couldn't show up until now. It seems you triggered a retreat. One minute I'm surrounded by heartless and the next, they run away." Leon explained.

"We sure went to a lot of trouble to make it that way." Naruto said.

"So what brings you guys here?" Sora asked Donald and Goofy.

They explained their situation. Sora seemed surprised. "So you were looking for me?" He asked.

"A-hyuk! Looks like it." Goofy said.

"But wait." Gohan said taking out his keyblade. "I have one too. What does that make me, second in command or something?"

"I've heard legends of an abundance of people being able to wield the keyblade. So I suppose it wouldn't be uncommon to have more than one keyblade." Leon said.

"Well we only have enough room for one more person on our ship." Donald said.

"Ship?" Sora repeated.

"Yeah. We can go to other worlds in our ship." Goofy said.

Sora looked to Gohan, who nodded. "Let Sora go with them then. He needs more than I do."

Sora lowered his head. "Thanks…Maybe I can find my friends…"

"Sure!" Donald crowed reassuringly.

Sora's head shot up. "Really?" He asked hopefully.

"Yeah!" Donald confirmed.

"Are you sure?" Goofy whispered to Donald quietly.

"Who knows, but we need him to help us find the king." Donald whispered back.

"Go with them Sora. It might be the best chance you have of finding your friends." Leon agreed.

"Yeah…" Sora brightened. "Alright! I'll go with you guys!" He said cheerfully.

"Wait! What do we do? Just sit around and let them do all the work?" Naruto said indignantly.

Gohan murmured in agreement.  
Leon crossed his arms, thinking for a moment. "There is one way you guys can go…"

"Doushite?" Naruto and Gohan said at once.

"I suppose you could use our ship…Though I can't say Cid would be happy if I let two kids pilot his handiwork." He said slowly

"WE AREN'T KIDS!" Naruto and Gohan loudly reminded him.

"I'll go with them." Yuffie volunteered.

Leon looked at her skeptically. "What? I can handle it!" Yuffie said defensively.

"…Check with Cid first." He said finally.

* * *

A/N: Oh, Hell Yeah! That felt great! I don't know whether it stemmed from my recent obsession with Television Tropes & Idioms, but I feel like I've had an epiphany and regained my love for this fic. I think it's improved massively from my original so far, and I feel like I could easily write three more chapters within the week. But I'm gonna make you wait. Why? Because I'm a jerk! Deal with it! MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!


	3. White Rose Stands Trial

**Chapter 3 : Down the Rabbit Hole! White Rose Stands Trial!**

* * *

Yuffie grumbled the whole way to First District, hurt that Leon didn't trust her. Gohan and Naruto looked at each other. "You think this is worth it? Having to share a ship with…her?" Naruto asked quietly.

"Hey, we're gonna see other worlds out there. I think you can put up with a little of her whining."

"I can _hear_ you ya know!" She yelled, glaring daggers at the boys, making them shrink back.

Gohan and Naruto stopped as Yuffie went into a shop. "Come on!" She hissed impatiently.

The two hurried in after her. A gruff looking man stood at the counter. Yuffie walked up to him. "Hey Cid, mind if I borrow the ship?"

Cid looked at her for a solid minute. "No." He said simply.

Yuffie pulled out a few shuriken holding them up to his face threateningly. "Maybe I wasn't clear. We're taking the ship." She asserted.

Cid looked boredly at the shuriken, then Yuffie. "No." He said once again, as flat as before.

Yuffie deflated. "Awwwwww, Come oooon. Don't make me beg. Not in front of these guys!" She whined.

"Yuffie, I'd rather trust a complete stranger than you." He said with a roll of his eyes.

Gohan stepped. "I don't think that's very fair. Yuffie seems very reliable." He said.

"Tell ya what kid, make sure she doesn't destroy my ship, and it's all yours."

Gohan grimaced at being called a kid yet again. "That's Gohan. And you've got a deal." He said.

"Didn't need your help…" Yuffie mumbled, storming off, though she was inwardly surprised that Gohan stood up for her.

Gohan sighed and he and Naruto trudged after her. "I don't think I'll ever understand girls…" Gohan muttered.

* * *

The ship was quite spacious, almost like a bus. Naruto fell asleep in the back while Gohan and Yuffie sat up front in an awkward silence. Gohan fidgeted silently while Yuffie reclined, the ship in auto pilot. Yuffie looked to Gohan, seemed to be studying his hands with great interest. Not having the time to look at him before, Yuffie noted that Gohan wasn't that bad looking. His messy wild hair, His focused onyx eyes, not to mention his muscles. He was a looker alright. _'He's no Leon though.'_ She thought, smiling. Gohan felt her stare and looked up. "Hm?"

"Nothing…" She said, then, after a moment "I'm sorry about the way I've been treating you."

"It's okay. My friend told me something about this. Is it your…what did he call it…? 'Time of the month?'" Gohan asked seriously, making Yuffie gape at him.

"No Gohan. It's not that. It's not that at all." She said slowly.

Gohan blushed with embarrassment. "Sorry."

"It's fine. Let's just never mention this again." Yuffie said, beginning to regret starting a conversation.

"So what _is_ the thing that's making you act this way?" Gohan asked.

"Just…A lot on my mind…" Yuffie said.

"I know what that's like…" Gohan muttered.

Yuffie knew it was a personal thing, and probably none of her business, but he shouldn't have brought it up, so she asked anyway. "What's that mean?"

"Nothing short of my dad leaving the safety of the entire world in my hands." He sighed and slumped in his chair. "And the world fell into darkness and everyone's gone...All on my watch…" He mumbled.

Those words combined with the look of dejection on his face made Yuffie feel plain rotten inside. "I should probably shut up now." Gohan said, feeling foolish.

He turned his attention to the window, watching the multicolored world between worlds go by. Yuffie tried hard to think of something to say that might make him happy. She wasn't good at this kind of things. "In his darkest hour, a true warrior must never doubt himself, lest he lose himself to self-pity and doom those around him." Yuffie recited quietly.

It was one of many old Wutai sayings she was made to study. She never thought it'd be useful, and she was even more surprised than Gohan when she said it. Gohan looked to her in confusion. "Eh?"

Her face scrunched in thought. "Or something like that. I might have paraphrased a little."

Gohan blinked. "Um…Nani?" He asked.

"Your world's gone and you're worried. I can understand that. But don't think that we can't fix this. We can." She said looking at him.

Gohan held a look of skepticism. "How do you know?"

"Just trust me. We're gonna get Sora back to his world and you back to yours. Heck, we'll even get the freak in the orange jumpsuit back to whatever world he came from. Consider it a Yuffie Guarantee."

Gohan stared at her for a moment, then grinned. "Thanks…I really needed that…"

She flashed him a small smile. "Go wake Naruto. We're here." Yuffie said scanning the dashboard.

"Got it." He said, heading toward the back of the ship.

He returned with the sleepy-eyed blond. "Wha's happenin'?" He inquired drowsily.

"We're here. Okay guys, listen up. Normally, I'd bring her in, but there's no safe place to land with the heartless everywhere." She explained.

"Wait we're gonna jump out of the ship?" Naruto exclaimed disbelievingly.

"No, we're just gonna stand here and wait for someone else to do our jobs." Yuffie sighed impatiently, heading for the side door. "Just follow me." She said opening it and jumping out.

"She didn't have to be so mean about it." Naruto muttered, following suit.

Gohan shrugged and did a running jump out of the door.

* * *

"Ugh… How long has it been?" Gohan asked.

It seemed like they were falling down some kind of chimney, but whether there was a bottom was not yet clear. The worst of it was that the sensation was one of falling in slow motion. It felt like hours since they'd actually jumped out. Yuffie crossed her arms in annoyance. "I don't know, for the fifth time." She said, shutting her as tight as if to imagine the annoying questions away.

"Are we there yet?" Naruto asked.

"Grr, What do you think?" Yuffie yelled rounding on Naruto.

"I think I'm sick of your attitude." Naruto growled.

"Hey! I don't have to take this from some brat in a clown suit!" She retorted.

"Says the girl who dresses herself in the dark!" He shot back.

"Um, Guys…" Gohan said quietly, looking down.

"At least I'm not a midget!" She continued, ignoring Gohan.

"Wha-I'm not THAT short!" Naruto spluttered.

"GUYS!" He yelled, louder this time.

"Well if the jumpsuit fits!"

"At least mine does fit! Your outfit is way too small. Could you look any more like a—

"Don't judge me!" Yuffie yelled, blushing slightly.

**"****Taiyoken!"** Gohan shouted, hands placed next to each side of his head.

Any further argument was halted by the blinding pain in their eyes. "Aaggh! What was that?" Naruto said, head buried in his hands.

"I could've done worse. So stop arguing already! I see the ground!" Gohan said.

"Nggh…! I wish _I_ could see the ground…" Yuffie grumbled, rubbing at her red tinted eyes.

"Quit whining." Gohan said flying downward to the ground.

By the time the other two had landed on the ground, they had, for the most part, recovered their eyesight. "You know, we could've gone blind." Naruto complained.

"Don't be silly. That's never happened to anyone. I've even had it used on me once." Gohan said, looking at their new surroundings.

It looked bizarre, like someone's house had been thrown into the blender. Gohan turned to a narrow hallway. "Hey guys, a way…out…" He trailed off and squinted. A small white rabbit in a red coat nervously checked his pocket watch and ran around the corner.

Yuffie looked in the direction of Gohan was speaking of. "Cool! Let's go!" She said, heading for the hallway.

Gohan nodded slowly. "Yeah…" He said following her.

She looked at him. "Something wrong?" She asked.

"I could've sworn I saw a rabbit in a coat checking his watch." He said, causing Yuffie to give him a strange look.

"Let's…just keep going." Gohan said.

After a long walk through the hallway, the trio came to a halt at a large door. Gohan opened it to reveal a smaller door. The three exchanged glances. "Okay…" Gohan said opening the door.

Yet another door stood behind it. "Third time's the charm." Gohan muttered, opening the third door.

This time there was no door, but the actual room behind it. It seemed like a bedroom combined with a living room, a table sitting in the middle of the room along with a fireplace to its right. "This place is weird…" Yuffie said.

As they filed through the door the very same rabbit scurried across the room. "Oh dear! Oh dear! I'm late I'm late I'm late!" The rabbit cried, running through a door that looked as if it were for a mouse.

"Was that…" Yuffie began, eyes wide.

"A rabbit in a coat? Looked like it. Guess I'm not crazy after all." Gohan said with a grin.

"This just keeps getting weirder." Yuffie muttered.

"What? The fact that there's a talking rabbit or the fact that he'd shrunk to the size of a mouse?" Gohan asked.

"Both." Yuffie said quickly.

"So how do we get through there, there's no other way and we'll never fit in that tiny thing?" Naruto asked.

"Try the bottle." The door said, startling the group. Or rather, the door handle said as much.

Gohan walked up to the door. "Was…was that you…?" He asked.

"Yes, Try that bottle. And do try and let me get some rest. I'm…" He yawned "…Exhausted…"

Gohan's eye twitched. "I'm sorry…" He said. _'I'm apologizing to a door. I HAVE gone crazy!' _

"Did he mean this bottle right here?" Naruto asked, picking up a red labeled bottle from the table.

He took a sip, and suddenly grew four times his size. His head hit the ceiling, making him stoop over. "…Eh heh heh…Wrong bottle…?" He muttered sheepishly.

Yuffie sighed. "Okay, from now on, I handle all the items." She said taking a draft from the blue labeled bottle.

She shrunk down to the size of a mouse. "From now on I handle all the items." Naruto mimicked, 'accidentally' blowing Yuffie off of the table.

He took the blue bottle and took a swig, shrinking down to Yuffie's size. Gohan sat down on the bed next to the door, having trouble digesting all this madness. "Gimme a second guys…" He said, leaning back on the bed.

The bed flattened itself into the wall, revealing an open entrance and causing Gohan to fall on his back. "What the heck is with this world?" Gohan groaned.

"HURRY UP!" Naruto and Yuffie called impatiently.

"Alright alright…Sheesh…" Gohan said, getting up.

Once he had shrunken down, he joined the others. "Okay guys, can I trust that you can get through this _without_ trying to kill each other?" He asked hopefully.

Naruto and Yuffie looked to each other. "That's kind of asking a little too much of us, Gohan." Yuffie said while glaring at Naruto.

"Yeah, your standards are a little high." Naruto agreed, glaring back.

Gohan sighed and his shoulders slumped forward a bit. "I was afraid of that…"

Floating yellow bell-like heartless and Shadow heartless appeared from nowhere. "Oh Come on!" Gohan growled.

Everyone prepared their weapon as the heartless closed in. The yellow heartless jingled simultaneously as Gohan rushed a Shadow. He stopped dead in his tracks as a lightning bolt struck in front of him, missing him by a fraction. Inhaling sharply, Gohan back flipped and struck behind him, eliminating a heartless. He looked to the others. "Watch for the yellow ones, they shoot…lightning…" He trailed off seeing Yuffie's frizzy hair and stunned expression.

"Nevermind." He said jumping out of the way of another lightning bolt.

Naruto himself was coming to a dilemma. He dodged a heartless' claw and dug into his small bag desperately for a kunai. He pulled out his last one and made a handsign. **"Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!"** He shouted, making five of him.

Five kunai ripped through the heartless, finishing most of them. "And that's it for my ninja tools." Naruto muttered.

Gohan threw his keyblade at the last of them. The keyblade shined as it spun and ripped through the final few. The keyblade disappeared and Gohan sighed. "Done. Now let's go before more show up." He said.

The crew nodded in agreement and headed through the secret entrance.

* * *

The hallway, much like their crash arrival, seemed to go on forever. To avoid another altercation, which was inevitable if this hallway didn't end soon enough, Yuffie decided to make conversation. "Ahem. So, uh, guys. What's your stories?" She asked.

Gohan and Naruto looked at each other, then at Yuffie. "Yuffie, I'm pretty sure that we don't have much time to do what we came here to do. And I'm not even clear on exactly what the heck we're supposed to be doing right now, and you're asking me to give an autobiography?" Gohan asked.

"Well, I was trying to get acquainted, but if you're gonna a be a smart aleck then I DON'T WANNA BE FRIENDS WITH YOU JERK!" She screamed waving her arms wildly and practically spitting fire.

Gohan winced. "Calm down! I was just saying-"

Yuffie turned around and dashed off without another word. "Ah...Nevermind then..." Gohan said flatly.

"Hah Hah Ha Ha Ha! Priceless!" Naruto said, holding his sides.

"Come on Naruto, it's not funny." Gohan said disapprovingly.

"Nah," Naruto said, still laughing. "It's hilarious!"

"Naruto...Pfft...We don't have time for this..." Gohan said, stifling his own laughter.

"Oh Come on, you shoulda seen the look on your face when she bolted!" He said through his laughter.

He fell to the ground and held his sides. Gohan laughed as well, putting a hand to his forehead. The two laughed until their laughs receded to chuckles. They sighed. Gohan could remember the last time he'd laughed so hard. Or rather, the last time he'd laughed period. It felt great to be relieved of the pressure of this whole situation, if only for a second. "Thanks Naruto." He said gratefully. "I needed that."

Naruto sat up grinned. "No problem. We should probably go get going before the crybaby gets herself in trouble."

He stood and ran down the hallway, Gohan following behind.

* * *

_'Captured by cards, this has got to be the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to me.' _Yuffie thought as she tugged futilely at the bars and sighed. "This is so not going the way I planned." She muttered. A spade card stood dutifully by her cage.

"Silence! You will be next to stand trial for aiding this criminal!" A rather large lady sat high atop a throne, protected by a sort of judge's bench. She was referring to the blonde haired girl in the cage right

Yuffie glared at the woman. "Yeah, Yeah. Save your breath, lady. You look like you need it."

The woman's face turned redder than red. "That's it! Alice's trial will be postponed! This little wretch will be tried instead. Oh, forget the trial! Off with her head!" She ranted angrily. The queen obviously had a short fuse.

"Objection!" Gohan yelled, running up to the defendant's bench that stood across from the Queen's.

"Who are you? Are you with this lout!" She demanded.

"Hey!" Yuffie protested.

Gohan looked back at Naruto, who shrugged. Gohan looked at the queen and held her glare. "That's not important! On what grounds are you sentencing my friend to death?"

"She is conspiring with the little one to steal my heart." The queen growled.

"You don't have any proof!" Gohan argued.

"I am the Queen!" She roared.

Gohan's head hit the desk. This woman was completely unreasonable. He decided that this was a fight he couldn't win in a head-on argument. "Okay." He conceded, raising his head slowly. "Fine, what if I can prove that neither were trying to steal your heart. Would you let them go then?" He asked.

Naruto grabbed his arms. "Gohan, are you sure we can prove that?" He whispered.

"What do you mean, 'Can we prove that?' Of course we can!" Gohan said aloud.

"You have thirty minutes." She said.

Gohan turned back to her. "Thirty minutes...What?" He asked flatly.

"You have thirty minutes to present me evidence that they are innocent. Any later and it's off with _all _of your heads!"

Gohan sweat dropped. _'This woman has an abnormal obsession for decapitation. Or she might just be insane.' _He thought, leaning towards the latter assumption.

He nodded jumped over the desk and ran quickly to Yuffie. "How do you get into this much trouble in five minutes?"

Yuffie laughed sheepishly, scratching her head. "This is nothing. You should see what I've done in two minutes."

Gohan shot her a look and she sighed. "I'm sorry, okay? Geez. Alice was in trouble and I wanted to help."

"Alice?"

Yuffie pointed to the small blonde girl in the next cage over. She looked confused and disoriented, but mostly scared. "Excuse me. Alice is it? Do you think you could tell us what's going on, because we're kind of clueless."

"I'm afraid I can't." She said apologetically. "But you should go into the forest and ask the cat, he'll know what to do."

"The cat?" Gohan repeated.

"Yes, Cheshire Cat. A purple striped cat. He always knows what to do." She explained.

Gohan folded his arms over his chest, closing his eyes thoughtfully. "Hmm...It's worth a shot. Where's this forest?" He asked, looking up at her once more.

She pointed to where to giant cards wielding spears stood, seemingly guarding the opening in between the hedges. Gohan nodded and looked to Naruto, who was making faces at other cards, who stood stock still. Gohan sweat dropped. He looked back at Yuffie, who had her head down. "Don't worry we'll have you out of here in no time." He assured her. _'Not that time is a luxury we have right now'_ He thought.

Yuffie looked up. "Can't you just bust us outta here and kick some butt? You're super strong, y'know."

Gohan shook his head. "I think we should play by their rules for the time being. I don't really want to use force if I don't have to. Sorry..."

"It's okay, I trust you." She said.

Gohan smiled back and turned around. No sooner than he did, tears streamed down Chibi Yuffie's face. _'I have to get outta here! I can't wait for these guys, I'm gonna diiiiieee!' _She moaned inwardly.

* * *

Gohan dragged Naruto through the forest entrance by his collar. "I'm telling you, you can't make faces at people!"

"They're not even people, they're cards!" He argued.

"That's not the point!" The young sayian yelled.

"You know you've screwed us over right?" Naruto said.

Gohan dropped him and turned around. "What are blathering about?" Gohan asked irritably.

Naruto stood up and brushed himself off. "We've got less than thirty minutes to find a heart-thief that we don't have any leads on? How are we gonna do that?"

Gohan stared at him, eyebrows raised. Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "Nani?"

"You're kidding me? You don't know who's after her _hearts_?" He said, emphasizing the word hearts.

"Uh, no. That's kinda why I said 'you screwed us over.'" He replied.

"Did it ever occur to you that it might be the _heartless?'_ He asked, surprised that this had never crossed Naruto's mind.

Naruto opened his mouth, then shut it. Gohan sweat dropped. _'Baka...' _ He thought. "Well anyway, we just need some claw marks or something to prove her innocent."

"**What seems to be the problem fellows...?"**

Gohan head swiveled back and forth to look for the source of the voice. A plump, purple cat's head appeared atop a tree, followed by the rest of his equally plump and purple body. "Um, are you Cheshire Cat?" Gohan asked, knowing it was a stupid question.

This place was indeed rather...unique, but how many striped purple cats could there be?

"**Indeed, you correct my friend! I am him, he is I!" **The cat said gleefully, an insane grin plastered on his face.

"Okay..." Gohan said slowly. "We need some-"

"**Evidence? Of course you do! Poor Alice is about to lose her head and she's not guilty of a thing!"**

"So you have the evidence then?" Naruto asked impatiently.

"**Ah, Not so fast! Cheshire Cat has all the answers, but doesn't always tell."**

"Well could you tell this time, we're kind of on a time limit." Gohan pleaded.

"**Then you'd best be going, I've hidden four pieces evidence around Wonderland hidden by shadows. The first three are a cinch to find, but the fourth is a bit tricky."**

"Grrr, I hate cats!" The orange clad ninja shouted angrily.

He picked up a stick and threw it at Cheshire. His body disappeared, the stick sailing under his disembodied head. **"Now, now. Don't think me unfair. To even the odds between you and the shadows, here's a gift for your short friend. Think real hard now, the password is Blizzard..."**

Naruto glowed for a brief moment, then stopped. He and Gohan exchanged glance. Gohan looked back at the cat, who was...gone... "Crap...What do we do now?" Naruto asked.

"Look for the evidence I guess..." Gohan muttered. "Say, what do you think he meant by hidden in the shadows?" He said, noticing a small pink present that sat atop a large tree stump. Gohan walked over to the stump. No sooner than he reached it, more heartless appeared, blocking off the tree stump. Gohan backed up. "Shadows equal heartless...clever..." Gohan muttered summoning his keyblade.

* * *

_'I've got fifteen minutes before my time is up.' _Yuffie thought calmly, sitting in a meditative position._ 'How do I avoid being headless? Hmm...Maybe...I could use my limit break. I still have my shuriken so that's an option. Hmm...I need an attack that'll cut right through so I can escape quickly.' _She looked at the sleeping Alice in the cage next to her. _'I don't think I have enough strength to get both of us out. I really hate to do this, but I'll have to leave and come back for her.'_ Yuffie took a deep breath and stood.

"Here goes nothin'..." She whispered.

She fished out her shuriken and it grew. She pulled back as the shuriken glowed red. _**'**__Limit Break! Greased Lightning!_**' **With two consecutive horizontal slashes, Yuffie easily sliced through the bars. Wasting no time at all, she dived through the bars and made for the forest entrance. "Don't just stand there! Stop her!" The Queen shouted.

The two cards at the door stepped forward with their spears. Yuffie leaped over them, tucking and rolling to her feet as she landed. "Gotta run!" She called behind her triumphantly as she dashed into an oncoming thicket.

Gohan wiped at his forehead and sighed. "Say Naruto, you know what's weird?"

Naruto panted, resting with his hands on his knees. "What's that?" He said in between breaths.

"The cat said he'd given you something to help us out. What was it?"

Naruto looked down at his hands. "Hmm...I dunno. I don't feel any different."

"He said 'Think real hard, the password is Blizzard...' Maybe it's some kind ice power?"

"Worth a shot." Naruto said with a shrug.

He concentrated and stretched his arms outward. **"**Blizzard!**" **Ice materialized in the space of half a second, launching in the direction he was aiming.

Naruto grinned. "Hey, that's pretty cool."

Gohan, however seemed disappointed. "I don't see how that 'evens the odds' at all."

Naruto laughed. "Hah! You're just jealous 'cause you didn't get any cool powers!"

Gohan scoffed. "Please! I can do better things than shoot ice from my hands." He shook his head. "Anyways, there's no time for that now! We've got fifteen or so minutes to find all-"

Gohan was cut short, not noticing Yuffie's appearance until she rammed into him. She landed on top of him, accidentally headbutting him. "Owwie..." Yuffie slurred dizzily.

Once her eyes focused, she realized she was face to face with a beet red Gohan. "Whoa Whoa Whoa!" She said practically jumping off of him. "Pervert!" She shouted turning around quickly to hide her blush.

"Says the girl who pretty much jumped on 'im." Naruto said casually, hands behind his head.

Yuffie whirled on Naruto flames in her eyes. "You-"

"Not! Now!" Gohan growled, standing up. "How'd you get loose?"

"Special Technique." Yuffie answered quickly.

She looked back, puzzled. "I don't think I was followed."

Gohan adopted a thoughtful expression. "Hmm...That's weird. Maybe they're not aloud?"

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Maybe you didn't hear the large crazy lady, but she's the queen. Where could she possibly not be aloud?"

"Good point."

"It doesn't matter..." Yuffie rubbed the back her neck and laughed nervously. "I might've...left Alice at the mercy of an ax crazy Queen of Hearts..." She mumbled.

"What the heck!" An outraged Gohan shouted.

"I was gonna come back, I swear!" The Grand Ninja said defensively.

"Gah!" Gohan cried in frustration, dashing back through the forest entrance.

"You've done it this time." Naruto said running after Gohan.

"Oh Shut up!" Yuffie retorted chasing after Naruto.

* * *

Gohan and friends stopped and looked around. Cards were scrambling around, looking everywhere in the small courtyard. "What the...?" Gohan whispered.

"There they are! They know where Alice is! Get them!" Gohan was beyond tired of hearing the queen's voice.

He summoned his keyblade as the cards surrounded them. "You guys can rest. I can handle this."

"Please! And let you have all the fun?" The blonde said with a grin, his hands glowing blue.

Yuffie pulled out her growing shuriken. "This isn't a game, cat boy." She said.

"So..." Gohan said, sinking into an offensive position. "Who wants to cut the deck?"

Without another word, the trio launched forward. Naruto struck one card with his palm. **"**Blizzard!**"** He shouted, encasing it in ice. He dodge rolled out of the way of a spade shaped ax and blasted the offender with ice, only to duck to narrowly avoid being skewered. Gohan dodged a spear with ease, closing on the owner. He quickly bashed its head with the hilt and threw his keyblade taking out two more. His eyes darted back and forth. Thirty to go.

Yuffie's shuriken was bathed in blue. "How do ya like this!" She asked, throwing the shuriken. She gave a smirk of satisfaction as five cards were shuffled. "That's _my_ full house."

Gohan wondered if he shouldn't just use Kamehameha Wave. He shook his head as he blocked an attack. He had a way to end this easily and without any bloodshed. Or rather...paper shred? Whatever. He weaved through two cards and jumped on the high desk that the Queen sat at. She barely had time to respond before Gohan's keyblade was at her throat. _'Royal Flush' _Gohan thought triumphantly.

The Queen opened her mouth indignantly. "One word from you and it's off with _your_ head! I'm sick of your _damned _voice!" The fighting stopped abruptly, the cards because the Queen was at sword point, Naruto and Yuffie because of Gohan's sudden outburst. The Queen's mouth hung open in abject shock.

_'Can it be? Be peace and quiet at last? I should curse more often...' _He paused, reminded of the incident in which Vegeta cursed in front of his mom. The results weren't pretty, and it was also the first time he'd seen Vegeta cry. _'Then again, maybe once is enough.'_

He shook his head, refocusing on the moment at hand. "One of you still conscious or unfrozen, tell me what's going on!" Gohan demanded.

A Diamond stepped forward. "When the girl escaped we all chased her, but halfway through the entrance, the Queen was yelling for us to come back. Alice had disappeared."

Gohan sweat dropped. _'This woman is too loud!'_

"How would we have taken Alice if we just left to clear her name!" The demi-sayian asked, outraged.

The card looked uncomfortable. "Sorry. We only do what the Queen says."

Gohan glared at the Queen, who seemed flustered. He looked back at the card. "Tell me something, do you enjoy following her orders?"

"No. It's miserable." The card answered simply. The other cards murmured their assent.

"Then why do you feel obligated to follow them?" Gohan asked.

"Well...because..."

"Because she's terrifying!"

"Yeah, that."

The Sayian hybrid nodded. "Why not stand up to her? You know, you guys outnumber her. Make her rule the right way!"

There was a sudden roar of agreement. The Queen turned completely pale. Gohan removed the keyblade from her throat. "I'd love to stay for tea, Queenie. But it seems I'm late for a very important date." He grinned and jumped from the desk.

Yuffie and Naruto followed Gohan as they made their way to the forest entrance. No one made a move to stop them. "Wh-what are you waiting for fools! After them!" The Queen cried.

All cards turned toward the Queen, glaring angrily. "What are you fools looking at!"

* * *

"I have a new respect for you, Gohan. You are officially my genius hero." Yuffie said, grinning at him.

"Yeah, I thought the golden glow thing was cool, but that's not something I was expecting. And 'Cut the deck?' That was pretty cool of you." Naruto agreed, punching him playfully in the shoulder.

Gohan rubbed his neck and bowed his head modestly. "Heh, thanks...though for some reason I feel like I disturbed the balance of something. Like tearing pages out of a story book."

"Tch, don't worry. This place'll be much better off with a nicer Queen. All thanks to you. My hero..." She cooed playfully, pinching his cheek.

Gohan slapped her hand away, blushing. "Y-Yuffie! Cut it out!"

Naruto sighed, rolling his eyes. "You two aren't gonna start making out, are ya?"

…

_BONK!_

Smoke rose from both Gohan and Yuffie's fists as Naruto lay face down on the floor. "You talk too much." the red-faced duo said.

"It was just a question..." Came Naruto's muffled voice.

* * *

A/N: ….Egh, What can I say? Besides the fact that I had fun writing this one. Whatever, Enjoy! :D


	4. Keyhole! Heart of All Worlds!

**Chapter 4: Keyhole! Heart of the Worlds!**

**

* * *

**

"Did you really have to hit me...? Owww..." Naruto moaned as they finally reached the forest again.

"It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again." Gohan said, keeping his eyes forward.

"Huh?" Naruto asked dumbly.

_BONK!_

"It means watch your mouth or we'll watch it for you!" Yuffie warned, shaking her fist threateningly. She looked to Gohan. "That's what it means...right?" She asked, confused.

Gohan shrugged and sighed. "More or less."

Naruto rubbed the new baseball sized welt on his head. "If I wanted to be wailed on I probably would have stayed home."

Gohan stopped dead in his tracks. Yuffie walked up next to him. "What's wrong?" He glared up at a tree, and Yuffie followed his gaze.

"...Is that a cat?" As Yuffie had said, the grinning cat lounged on the giant tree stump.

"Cheshire Cat..." Gohan groaned in frustration.

"Tell us where Alice is! _Now!_" Naruto growled impatiently.

Cheshire's perpetual grin failed to falter at Naruto's hostility. **"Terribly sorry, friends. Alice seems to have left the building."**

"That's it!" Naruto shouted,launching at the cat.

Cheshire disappeared and Naruto crashed face-first into the stump. Gohan sighed, sweat dropping. "Calm down, Naruto. Cheshire, what do you mean by 'left the building?'"

Cheshire stood on two legs. **"I mean gone, M.I.A., AWOL, Not present and accounted for, Poof!"**

The sayian's eyes widened. "You mean...she's left this world!"

"**Bingo! We have a winner! Your prize? There are shadows deeper in the forest. They are closing in on something. Something important! Maybe they'll come out if you turn down the lights..."**

His entire body disappeared, leaving only his yellow eyes and creepy smile before they disappeared as well. Gohan sighed. "I remember a cat from my world, only he was wayyy more helpful than this one."

"Are you sure it was even a cat?" Yuffie asked, clearly unsettled.

"Cat or not, he gave us some sort of advice. Let's use it. Quit napping Naruto, we're going!" Gohan called, moving through the strange forest.

Naruto stood up and hurried to catch up, grumbling as he did. The trio advanced through another thicket of tall grass. On the other side was what seemed to be an abandoned dinner party outside someone's crooked house. "What's all this stuff?" Gohan muttered.

Naruto yawned, suddenly tired. He plopped down in the large pink chair that headed the table. "I don't know, but I could use a break. All this physical abuse is making me sleepy."

Gohan glared at Naruto. "Get outta that chair! We don't have time to be laying around! Heartless could pop out at any minute."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Overreacting a bit don't you think?"

Gohan shook his head. "Maybe, but I don't think it's wise to take the chance."

Yuffie sat in the next chair the right of Naruto. "Relax, Gohan. Let's just take a break. The mission can wait." She said, putting her feet up on the table to recline.

"Guh...? Okay, when did I become the only sane person in this group!" The hanyou's question fell on deaf ears, as Naruto and Yuffie seemed to have dozed off. "YOU HAVE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!" Gohan cried angrily.

Yuffie opened one eye. "You're stressing to much. Come on, take a seat."

Gohan stared at the two of them for a long time. He face palmed. "Ugh...Fine! A few minutes, then we go back to doing our freaking jobs?"

"Sure, maybe a nap will unbunch those panties of yours." Yuffie taunted, chuckling and closing her eyes once more.

"Hmph..." Gohan mumbled.

Suddenly, a cake appeared in the center of the table. "The heck...?" Gohan muttered. "Hey Guys! There's cake. Look."

The two opened their eyes, which lit up instantly upon seeing the aforementioned cake. "Awesome!" Yuffie and Naruto said simultaneously.

"Um, Guys...I think this might be-" Warned Gohan.

"A trap? There you go bein' a kill joy again." Naruto said.

Gohan was about to respond when all three were unceremoniously thrown from their seat by some strange force. The chairs disappeared along with the cake. And were replaced with more heartless. "Looks like the party guests arrived." Gohan said, grinning smugly.

Rather than fighting them, Gohan grabbed Naruto and Yuffie by their arms, and yanked them into the house.

* * *

"See? What'd I tell you?" Gohan said.

The two looked away stubbornly. "Whatever." They said.

A vein pulsed in Gohan's right temple.

"_**Taiyoken!"**_

Gohan turned away from his two, now blinded, teammates. "This place looks familiar." He said, looking around. The first thing he noticed was that the door they came through was upside down on the side of some ramp. Puzzled, he looked up.

Or rather down, as he realized this was the same room with the talk door. _Only upside down._ "Argh...I'm so sick of this backwards place!" He complained.

Yuffie was the first to recover, now seeing what the boy was talking about. "Wha...Did we really just go in circles?" She asked, confused.

"Not exactly, but we may as well have. I don't see any 'lights' that the cat was talking about." Gohan said looking around.

Yuffie walked further down so she could see past the ramp. Two candle lit lamps sat on high platforms. She pointed at them. "Hey, what about those there?"

Gohan walked to up next to her to see and grinned. Yuffie looked at him strangely. "What's with the happy face all of a sudden?"

"I can feel it! We're close!" He shouted triumphantly.

He blasted upwards flying around the lamps. As he did the wind he created disturbed the fire until it was blown out. He stopped at the exact spot he had been standing in previously, and landed. Naruto, who had been watching silently up to this point, scoffed. "Show off."

"Jealous." Gohan replied with a smirk.

Naruto rolled his eyes, unable to keep from smiling. Suddenly, his eyes went wide. The blonde shut his eyes tight, taking hold of his nose with both hands. "Gah! What's that stench!"

Puzzled, Gohan sniffed the air. He shrugged. "I don't smell anything unusual..."

"Maybe it's just you."

Gohan and Naruto shot Yuffie a look. "What? I'm being perfectly serious! He smells like old ramen and failure!"

"You'd know what failure smells like!"

"You son of a-"

"Guys I swear! If you start again, I'll make it so you won't see for weeks." Gohan threatened. They turned away, grumbling to themselves. The half-sayian sighed, putting a hand to his forehead. "It's like being a kindergarten teacher, I swear." He murmured, about ready to strangle them both.

Naruto sniffed, and walked over to the platforms. Gohan looked back at him. "Naruto, what are you doing?"

He continued sniffing, coming to a stop at in between the platforms. "Check this out!" He called to the others.

Gohan and Yuffie went to see what he was talking about. It was a trapdoor, latch non-existent. He opened it and they all stared into the darkness below. "Should we..." Gohan asked, voicing their thoughts. After a moment's hesitation they nodded, and one jumped in after another.

Gohan fell into a crouch upon landing, observing his surroundings. They were back in the same room, only this time they were right side up again, though everything was still small. Gohan felt a sense of frustration come over him. He pinched the bridge of his nose, forcing himself to relax.

Naruto landed behind him, followed by Yuffie. She looked at Gohan. "What now? We just went in complete circles."

He shrugged. "Dunno."

"Dunno? What do you mean you 'dunno'?"

"You and Leon aren't exactly giving me expert info to work with here."

"..." Yuffie's eyes widened, then she rubbed the back of her neck, laughing nervously.

"Uh-oh. I know I'm gonna hate the next thing that come out of your mouth." He groaned.

"Yeah...About that...Hee Hee..." She stuck her tongue out and looked at him innocently.

"Talk!" Gohan growled, making Yuffie jerk back with an "Eep!"

"I sort of just remembered what we're supposed to do." She said in a high pitched voice.

_BONK!_

"Your just now remembering! WE DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS STUPID FUNHOUSE!" Gohan's pupils were replaced with fire.

Yuffie whimpered as she held the bruise on her head. "Yuffie is hurt."

"You don't know hurt yet!" He hissed.

Naruto sat cross-legged watching the spectacle with great amusement. For once, it was someone other than him being hit. Suddenly, a shadow fell over him. Confused, Naruto looked around. He stood up slowly. "Oh No...No No No..." He begged quietly, suddenly deaf to Gohan wailing on Yuffie. He turned around just in time to see an armored foot. "No No NO NO NO!" He cried diving out of the way to avoid being crushed.

Gohan let go of a battered and dazed Yuffie, looking up. Foot was attached to a freakish, four legged, eight eyed creature stomped around as it juggled flaming bowling pins. The demi-sayian rubbed at his eyes to see if he was imagining this. Nope, still there. "Oh..." Was all he could say.

He raised his hands into the air. His hand began to glow yellow as he overlapped his hands. "Masenko..." He whispered as the glow grew brighter.

He aimed at the monster as it neared him. "HAAAAAAH!"

Light illuminated Gohan's face, making him look all the fiercer as a beam of pure energy shot from his hands. It engulfed the monster, erasing it in a matter of seconds. A giant heart floated into the air, disappearing in a flash of light soon after. Gohan exhaled, smoothing back his spikes as they fell sharply back into place. Naruto and Yuffie looked at him, astonished. "What are you?" Yuffie asked, genuinely curious.

"A little of this, a little of that." Gohan said plainly.

Naruto's expression transformed into one of disappointment. "That fight was way too short."

"Bleh..." Was the only response the demi had for him.

"Whatever…" Naruto mumbled.

"Can we please keep it down! How's anyone supposed to get some sleep around here!"

All eyes were now on the half-asleep doorknob. Naruto sniffed. "It's that smell again…it's not as strong though…" He said, pointing to the doorknob.

"Well if all you're going to do is be rude, then I'm going back to sleep." He responded with a yawn.

As he yawned, Gohan's keyblade involuntarily appeared. The doorknob froze mid-yawn, as if waiting for something. "What the—" was all Gohan could manage as the keyblade forcefully guided itself upward, aiming at the mouth of the doorknob.

The keyblade glowed and a keyhole formed in the mouth of the doorknob, resonating with the keyblade. A small beam of light shot out of the tip of the keyblade and into the keyhole. After a brief clicking sound, the doorknob's mouth closed.

The door knob returned to his slumber, completely oblivious to what had happened. "Hey, the smell's gone now."

Gohan looked at Yuffie. "Is this what you'd forgotten to tell me about?"

She nodded and took a slow step back, fearing Gohan might start swinging again. "I can't remember many details, probably because you hit me so hard, but a special keyhole like that one is supposed to be the heart of the worlds."

"So, again, we went through this for nothing." Gohan said calmly, taking a step toward her.

She laughed nervously. "Come on, don't say that. What about Alice? We could've left her at the mercy of the crazy queen."

Gohan folded his arms over his chest, tilting his head to the side a bit. "Fair enough, I guess you're right. Well, I don't plan on lingering here any longer than I have to. I'm sure there are some answers and food back in Traverse Town." He said, earning a whoop from Naruto.

"I hear that! Maybe I can get some ramen!" He cheerfully replied.

Gohan and Yuffie laughed.

* * *

A few shadowy figures huddled around Gohan, Naruto, and Yuffie's images as the three headed back to their ship. "Did you see that? The boy obliterated the monster without so much as breaking a sweat."

"Oh great, Maleficent really screwed us on this deal. I don't remember freaks of this caliber being part of the deal."

"Quit whining you bag of bugs! The boy will make a great addition to me crew."

"You're assuming you can tame him, Hook? When you can't even capture a boy in green tights?"

"Shut up!"

"Silence, all of you!" The arguments stopped immediately. A new figure had joined the group. She grimaced, gripping her staff angrily. "Indeed, the boy shows much more strength than we were led to believe…" The others listened quietly, desperately hoping that there was more and that Maleficent had a cunning plan. There wasn't, and she didn't.

"Is it that it? What bilge water are you trying to feed us!"

"Wahahah! What's the matter Maleficent, you look pale!"

"Silence!" She hissed again. "I'll need time to collect my thoughts, but rest assured, he will _not_ be a problem."

With a swish of her cloak, she was gone as quickly as she'd arrived.

* * *

"You knew didn't you?"

"I don't see how it matters. You should never underestimate your opponents."

"I think our progress hinges on whether or not this boy will continue to interfere." Maleficent all but growled. She didn't like to be made a fool of, not at all.

"Interfere? Oh believe me when I say he'll do nothing of the sort." The hooded figure said, turning to face the dark witch.

"How do you mean?" The sorceress asked, intrigued.

"When I visited his world I left him with a…gift. Let's just say, he'll have problems keeping his emotions in check." He replied.

Maleficent smirked mirthlessly. "He is a teenager is he not? It's a bit redundant, don't you think?"

The hood didn't speak for a time. "Maleficent…perhaps you should stick to your sorcery. Because you're not funny…" The conversation ended there.

* * *

"You know what? We never got those clothes you promised me, Yuffie." Gohan said, looking down at himself.

"Oh yeah! I did say that, didn't I? I'll take you to the armor shop as soon we talk to Leon. Just don't forget to remind me." She said, giggling at her absent mindedness.

Once they'd made it to First District, Leon was spotted leaning against the wall of an outside café. "Hey Leon, any heartless pop up here lately?" Gohan said as they approached him.

"It's been slow." Leon said in his usual nonchalant monotone.

"Well we've been nothin' but busy." Naruto complained.

"So did you find it?" Leon asked.

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "What…the keyhole?" He asked, earning a nod.

"Come with me. I'll explain everything when we get there." Leon grabbed his sword and heaved it over his shoulder.

"But how did you know we didn't know about the keyhole?" Naruto asked.

Leon smirked at Yuffie, who rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. "Let's just say I had a feeling."

* * *

A/N: It's 1:30 and I'm tired, so I'll be brief. From now on, I'll expect at least two reviews before I start writing the next chapter. Any constructive criticism you have to offer is much encouraged and appreciated. After all, what's the point of writing if I don't get any better? Thank you and Good...morning? Whatever, I'm going to bed...


	5. Darkness Rising: Part 1

Gohan's keyblade met Leon's with a clang as Yuffie, Naruto and Aerith watched them go at it. The clangs and cries that accompanied them echoed through the cavernous meeting place. "What you guys found was, as Yuffie said, the heart of Wonderland." Leon said as he pushed off of Gohan's blade and jumped back.

"So the Heartless are after the world's heart. What happens if they get to it?" Naruto asked sitting back on his haunches.

"One of two things will happen." Leon said while conjuring a fireball to throw. "Either the world itself is plunged into darkness like the rest of them, or the heartless overrun the place. But even then, it too will fade into the darkness. "

Yuffie shuddered at this. The mention of the destruction of worlds sent shivers up her spine. "How do we restore the ones that have been lost?" Gohan asked, running along a wall and diving headlong at Leon.

The swordsman brought his gunblade upward. Gohan lifted his feet and landed against the blade, kicking off of it landing squarely on the ground. "Once you defeat Ansem, everything should go back to the way it was." Aerith answered.

Gohan's keyblade disappeared and Leon heaved his sword over his shoulder. "You guys should rest up before you go rushing out again." Leon advised. "Aerith can get you some healing items, and maybe Cid's Moogles can get you some new clothes."

Gohan nodded. "Naruto, go with Aerith and get the things we need."

Naruto shrugged and stood up. Aerith followed suit, lightly dusting off her pink dress. "Please follow me." She said politely, and Naruto obeyed.

"I'll leave the two of you alone." Gohan said with another nod and walked out of the cave.

There was an awkward silence between the remaining two. Yuffie rocked back and forth on her heels, waiting for Leon to speak. "So…"

"Um…Hey…" Leon mumbled uncomfortably.

Her nose wrinkled and she stopped rocking. 'Hey'? What kind of response was that? "You wanna…do something?" Yuffie tried again.

Leon turned away from her. "I'd rather train."

"Oh…Okay, I'll train with you." She said with half-hearted enthusiasm. It wasn't exactly a dinner, but she would settle.

"Actually, I'd like to train alone."

Yuffie's face fell. She lowered her head. "Oh…O-Okay then…I...I'll see you later." She said with a small smile. She ran away, not wanting him to see her cry.

* * *

Gohan, not looking where he was going, stumbled over something on his way to Cid's shop. "Hey! Watch it!" That something had said.

Gohan stepped back to look at the thing he'd accidentally stepped on. It was a small cherubic creature sporting a clownish nose and a furry red bauble that hung over his head. Gohan crouched down and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. I'm kind of in a hurry and I guess I didn't see you there."

The creature sniffed and turned around. "Well, watch where you going in the future. I've got moping to get back to, *kupo*." He mumbled in a voice that suggested he inhaled too much helium.

Gohan tilted his head. "Moping? What about?" He asked.

The creature sighed, tiny shoulders slumped. He turned back to Gohan. "I feel like I'm destined for greater things, outside that of a synthesis shop. But being a Moogle, it seems like I'll always be stuck with my dreams of being a famous writer unfulfilled."

Gohan gave him a look of recognition. "Oh, so _you're_ a Moogle. What does a Moogle do anyway?"

"We make things, *kupo*." The Moogle said simply. "We make things for people with much more interesting lives." Gohan giggled and the Moogle jumped up and down in indignation. "Hey, what's the big idea? I'm pouring my heart out to you, and you laugh at me? That's…mean…*kupo*"

Gohan laughed again, shaking his head. "I wasn't laughing at you…it's just..how lucky am I to find a Moogle that'll give me free stuff?"

The spritely creature stared at him for a moment. "You didn't hear a word I just said, did you?"

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

He sighed. "I'm above this whole synthesis crud. And I'm certainly above doing it for _free._" Gohan grinned slyly, making the Moogle uncomfortable. "Why are you smiling, *kupo*?"

"What would you say to me taking you along with me? Me and my friends are currently trying to

Gohan smiled. So that's what it was. "What's your name, Mr. writer?"

"Dogu." He said, sticking out his hand in a business-like manner. "Pleased to meet you, *kupo*."

"I'm Gohan. Okay, Dogu." Gohan said, taking his hand and pulling him up onto his shoulder. "What do I need to make these clothes?"

"We'll need some materials. I happen to have some I was going to sell for enough money to gain passage to other worlds, but you've solved that problem. *kupo*"

"How long will it take?" Gohan asked.

Dogu just shrugged in response. "You might as well sit down, you've got time to kill."

Gohan sighed, actually pretty grateful for the reprieve. _'Oozaru hasn't talked in a while...I wonder what's up?'_ He yawned, sitting against a street lamp. "Maybe he's just pouting, or something..." He reasoned tiredly.

* * *

Yuffie stared blankly at her reflection in the Second District's fountain. "What's wrong with me?" She lamented, leaning hard against the fountain, as if trying to find the flaw within her reflection. She sniffed and straightened, realizing how stupid she sounded. She was a ninja, not a thirteen year-old girl! "His loss." She grumbled, storming away from the fountain. "Still..." She said, sniffing again. "I don't get why he doesn't like me..." She looked up at the bell tower that seemed to loom over all of Traverse Town, and squinted suspiciously. Someone...or some_thing_ was up there. She sped into a run as she drew a kunai from her bag of tools.

The silouhette leaped into the air, landing in a squatting position on a nearby bench. It was a boy dressed in all black with spiky raven hair. Yuffie raised her kunai defensively. "Who are you? Everyone's supposed to be inside or in First District until the heartless are gone!"

The boy chuckled. "You think I fear the darkness? You idiot." He said, hopping off of the bench and walking toward her. Yuffie backed off as he did, waiting for a sudden move. "The darkness is something to be embraced, not feared or hated. Your friend Gohan would do well to understand this. His very existince hinges on this fact."

Yuffie's eyes widened, and for a moment she stopped her backward movement. "Y-you! What do you know about Gohan!"

The boy's eyes grew red and a strange pattern ran across his skin. He produced a kunai of his own. "Only that he's a pathetic coward who can't handle the darkness inside of him."

Yuffie didn't very much appreciate the way he was talking about her friend, but she ignored it. "What so you're his nemesis, or something?"

"I don't know the loser personally." The boy admitted.

"Then what gives you the right to talk about him like that!" She shouted.

The kid chuckled. "I suppose you know him better?" He asked with a smirk.

Yuffie frowned. He had her there. "Well...I know enough." She muttered lamely.

Another chuckle. "Oh really? Like what?"

"Like for one, he isn't a coward. He certainly isn't afraid of punks like you!" She growled snidely.

Suddenly the boy was in front of her. Startled, she jumped back, landing on the fountain's edge. _'He's fast...'_She thought, surprised.

"I highly doubt that..." He said, holding up a tattoo covered hand. "Weaklings avoid having too much power because they fear being corrupted. Since when is there too much power?" Electricity formed in his palm. "Your stupid friend believes there is, but someone so powerful choosing complacency is beyond my understanding."

Yuffie looked hopelessly back at the wall that killed any chances of escape. "What's the point in telling me all this?" She asked, contemplating whether she should chance an attack or slip past him while he charged.

"Because I plan on turning him into a heartless and putting him to good use." He smirked as Yuffie gasped. "And the first step to that is putting an end to you."

She chose then to act. She bulleted to the left dashing past him and running next to the wall. Running away was pretty pathetic, she had to admit, but-

_chirpchirpchirpchirpchirp!__**"Chidor!i"**_

Yuffie's eyes widened as the sound of chirping birds filled the air. She turned around to see him rushing toward her with incredible speed. She barely had time to close her eyes before-

_Splat!_ "Uhnn..."

She heard the wet sound of penetrating flesh. She heard pained groan. She even felt a spatter of blood on her face. Why wasn't she in pain? She realized she was on her knees, looking up at Naruto, who had a hand-sized hole in his chest, still occupied by said hand. He opened one eye, giving Yuffie a pained grin. "Y-you moron...Never...take your eyes...off of the enemy..."

The boy growled and pulled his hand out, pushing him roughly to the ground. "Damn it. You're always in my way...Naruto..."

"Sasuke...What are you...?" He wasn't he able to finish his sentence. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell unconscious.

Yuffie rolled him onto his back to gauge the severity of the wound. She winced. One thing was for sure, a potion wouldn't fix this. Her eyes watered. Her face flushed in anger at the unfairness of it all. This was her fault. She had to make up for it. She knew she'd be beaten but she had to try. "You'll pay for this!" She shouted, launching at him and punching him in the jaw.

Sasuke, unprepared for such a bold move, took the brunt of the hit. _'That hurt...'_ He thought as Yuffie followed through with a left hook. He dodged this time, fully alert. She threw another punch and he caught it. "Is that it? My turn then." He said and disappeared.

Yuffie couldn't even see him as he struck her across the face. She could barely register his blows as they happened, much less think to block or dodge. Punch to the face. Kick in the side. Punch to the stomach. Punch to the chest. Punch. Kick. Punch. Punch. Kick. Eventually she just gave up and focused on surviving the onslaught. Finally, Sasuke mercifully ended the combo with uppercut, sending her skyward. He made a handsign and held it up to his mouth. _**"Katon! Gokakyu No Jutsu!"**_

A half-conscious Yuffie could only watch as she fell toward a giant ball of flame. Suddenly, she was snatched out of the air. She looked up weakly at her savior. "Gohan...?" She guessed, trying to focus on the blurry form before her.

Gohan nodded landing into a crouching position. "I'm sorry." He whispered as his hair flared upward and fell forward again, turning gold. A golden aura surrounded them both as Yuffie's cuts and bruises began to disappear. "I can't do much more than this, but you should be able to stand." He set her down and she slowly got onto her unsteady feet. She leaned on Gohan grabbing a fistful of his sleeve.

"Gohan...I..." Her eyes watered. "I'm sorry...I..." Gohan shushed her.

"Don't be sorry..." He said gently. He looked up. "Dogu! You there?" He called. A Moogle descended into view. "Ready and willing, boss!"

Sasuke stared at the boy before him, frowning. "Hmm...this is no good..." He mumbled. He hadn't planned on him coming so early, he'd have to improvise.

Gohan glared murderously at the boy."What's the matter? Daunted by someone who can fight back?" Gohan taunted.

The boy smirked. "You're calling me a coward? How hypocritical."

"What's that?" Gohan growled menacingly.

Sasuke held out his arms as if to say 'quit playing around.' "Come on. I've beaten two of your comrades into the ground. Yet I don't see you doing much but talking."

_'That's what he was trying to do?'_ Gohan thought, lowering his head. "You...Nearly killed Naruto and hurt Yuffie...just to spite me!" He shouted in outrage, clenching his fists. Sasuke smirked. Provoking this loser would be easier than he thought.

Gohan took a deep breath and looked back at Yuffie. "Yuffie. Take Naruto and go get Aerith. I'll meet with you as soon as I can." He looked to the moogle. "Dogu, you go too." Dogu seemed disappointed, but he fluttered obediently at Yuffie's side.

The Wutai ninja thought of what Sasuke had said about turning Gohan into a heartless. "Gohan, you don't have to-"

"Go!" He shouted, the kindness gone from his voice. "What patience I have left is waning. I suggest you move quickly."

Yuffie could only stare in shock. This wasn't the same kid who healed her just a minute ago. It was a familiar voice though. She thought back to after they'd met. When he'd nearly hit her to get to a heartless. It seemed like he was messing with her at first, but then he'd told her, _"Stay out of my way."_As if he would've just as easily done away with her as he did the heartless. As if her very existence irritated him. This is what Gohan sounded like now. Cold, Ruthless, Unfeeling. He looked back at her. "What are you gaping like an idiot for? Pick your damn jaw up off the floor, get Naruto and get out of here."

Yuffie walked over to Naruto and picked him up. She looked into Gohan's cold steely eyes. "Gohan..." She whispered.

"Just go! Get the hell out of here!" He snarled.

She nodded hesitantly and dashed off. Gohan's eyes moved to Sasuke, cold as they were black. "You're going to regret challenging me." He said stepping forward. darkness seemed to flow from his hand, forming a different kind of keyblade.

Sasuke recognized it. It was large curved blade that resembled a dragon's wing. From it's keychain hung the emblem of the heartless. The Soul Reaper. Gohan brandished it menacingly, taking it in both hands. "It seems you're more acquainted with darkness than you or your friends would like to admit. I guess that's something we have in common." He said with a grin. Darkness flowed around his hands.

Gohan smirked. "Do you ever shut up?" He asked. He and Sasuke circled one another. "The abiilty to wield darkness may be something we have in common, but one thing I'm sure I can contrast is..." He stopped turning to face him fully. "I'm walking away from this battle alive." With that, he lunged at his opponent.


	6. Split Personality

_"So…Naruto is it? You're a ninja like Yuffie?" Aerith asked as they walked from the potion shop._

_Naruto scoffed. "No! Unlike her, I'm a_real_nin_ja."

_Aerith giggled. "Okay, then. How are things back in your village?"_

_Naruto shrugged. "I dunno. I've been away for a while on a training mission."_

_Aerith stared at him, eyes wide and innocently curious. "Training for what? Is there some kind of competition?"_

_Naruto couldn't help but smile at her naivete. "No. I need to be stronger, so I can fulfill a promise." He said, smile fading as he looked up at the sky_.

_"A promise?" Aerith repeated._

_"I need to bring someone back...for a friend of mine." He lowered his head and sighed. "We both care about him, though I'm not sure that matters to him much. All he cares about is his stupid revenge. Idiot..." He spat in disgust. Just thinking about it made him furious and hurt. To think that someone he thought of as brother would…He looked up and nodded to Aerith. "I'm sorry, but I need to be _there._alone." He said before taking to the rooftops and running away._

_"Naruto..." She whispered pityingly, watching him as he fled._

* * *

Apparently, as Naruto quickly found out upon regaining consciousness, being hit with the same attack twice didn't make it any less painful. In fact, he thought, it hurt twice as much as last time. He squeezed his shut tightly, groaning softly, finally opening them to Yuffie, covered in small bandages and staring expectantly at him. Her face lit up so much, he swore it was glowing. "You're awake!" She shouted joyfully, grabbing him and bringing him into a none to gentle hug. "You stupid idiotic wonderful knucklehead! Thank goodness you're awake…"

Naruto winced in pain. "Ah, Ouch! Cut it out, that hurts!"

Yuffie laughed and pulled away, he noticed tears in the corners of her eyes, but she was grinning like mad. "Haha, sorry. I got a little carried away."

"Geez. Of all people I didn't expect _you_ to be this worried about me." Naruto muttered, scratching his head.

Yuffie expression turned into one of indignance. "What, because we fight sometimes?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Okay, okay,_ most_ of the time? That doesn't mean I'd want you hurt, or that I wouldn't care. You're my friend, jerk."

Naruto blinked in surprise. "Er…Thanks…"

"No prob!"

Then a spark went off in Naruto's brain. "Sasuke!" he said, jumping up abruptly. As he did, there was audible crack. "Gah!" Naruto cried, falling forward onto Yuffie.

"Whoa!" She exclaimed, caught off guard and nearly falling off of her chair.

"Is everything okay in here? I've got tea—" At possibly the worst time imaginable, Aerith and Dogu came into the room with a tray of tea to find a certain blonde ninja in his boxers smack on top of and nose to nose with her best friend.

"Oh boy, this'll make for a steamy romantic chapter !*kupo*!" Dogu said and giggled.

Aerith's face burned uncomfortably. "Um…is this a bad time? I could—"

Yuffie pushed Naruto off of her, blushing madly. "It's not like that at all!" She said indignantly.

Naruto fell back onto the bed with a wince, trying to ignore his own blush. "We don't have time for this. We have to go get Sasuke."

"Gohan's fighting him, he'll be…" Yuffie paused and a look of concern passed over her face. "…fine." She finished distantly.

"You don't understand…" Naruto growled, trying once more to stand, though slowly this time. "I made a promise. I've got to bring him back."

Aerith walked over to the bed and pushed him down firmly. "You'll do nothing of the sort. Not in your condition."

Naruto moved against her hand, but she held him in place. Naruto soon realized the futility of his effort, and relented. "Fine, I'll stay…for now…" He said begrudgingly.

Yuffie stood. "I'm going to go get some…food. For Gohan, when he gets here." She said, walking over to a chest. She opened it and pulled out a sort of gauntlet that ran the length of her arm, with an armored shoulder plate at it's end. She slipped it on.

"You're already hurt." Aerith said, shaking her head at Yuffie's thinly veiled lie. "Don't do anything risky."

Yuffie looked back at her questioningly. "You're not gonna try and stop me?"

The healer smiled. "I see the look in your eyes. I don't think anything is going stop you."

Yuffie grinned and bounded out the door. Naruto stared after her, angry at his helpless situation. "Can't you heal any faster…" He muttered to himself grimly. "…You stupid fox?"

* * *

Gohan opened his eyes. He tried to look around, but something held his head in place, and the area ahead was dark. His arms and legs were at his sides, but felt involuntarily locked in place. "What the heck is this?" He asked, straining as best he could against this force.

"_This," _Gohan gasped as a mirror image of him seemingly materialized from the darkness. _"Is your end, I'm afraid."_

Gohan glowered at him. He was wearing the clothes Gohan had recently acquired from his Moogle friend—An orange short-sleeved jacket with blue trim that hung just above waist length, unzipped to reveal a dark blue shirt along with baggy orange pants. "What are you?" He hissed angrily, with edge of fear in his voice.

The double's grin spread across his face and he spread his arms. _"I am your greatest fear. I am the doubt that controls your mind. I'm the thing that cripples your power. I am what you've always refused to face. I…am…darkness, incarnate."_

Gohan dug up the bravado to make a snarky comment. "So, is that supposed to scare me, or do you have more cliché dialogue coming?"

To his disappointment, the fake seemed unaffected. He even chuckled a bit_. "Scoff and sneer all you want. I will devour you and your friend. His anger is only helping the process."_

"**GRAAAAAAAAAHHH!"** Oozaru's predatory howl echoed, making Gohan's ears ring.

He clenched his teeth. "What does he think he's doing out there? Oozaru! Stop!"

"_He can't hear you, though I suppose it wouldn't matter anyhow. It's not like he'd do anything to stop me."_

The hybrid sneered at his clone, knowing what he was implying. "As if he'd ever ally himself with scum like you…"

"_Empty words…" The double scoffed. "He doesn't even consider you an acquaintance. You've never been any more than an obstacle to him. But I'm sure with my promise of complete control and a power without match, he'll be more than willing to join with me." _He paced for a moment, eyeing Gohan appraisingly.

He laughed. "What's funny!" Gohan snarled.

"_I'm sorry. It's just…how can the strongest in your group be so weak. So far you've only managed to sit and mope and cry, and the journey has barely begun. Oh, and let's not forget the fact that your carelessness nearly cost both your comrades their lives."_

"I never asked to be leader! I was never asked!"

"YOU, _are expected to lead with that kind of power!" _The double's voice rose sharply, his tone whiplashing and stunning Gohan into silence. _"You were lazy, and careless, and because of that your friends paid the price."_

"That's not—"

"_Yes it is. But it doesn't even matter now. You're to disappear soon, so why contest it?"_

The weight of what he'd just said and the helplessness of the situation sat heavily with Gohan. He lowered his head and fought back tears, cursing himself for his weakness. The abomination was right, he knew. Had he been more alert to his situation and stronger in his resolve, he might have prevented this altogether. Now, he was as good as dead, no use to anyone. "Such a pointless death…" He whispered.

* * *

Sasuke blocked Oozaru's attack and forced him back with ease. The sayian slid back, holding his keyblade out in front of him. He swung the blade experimentally, enjoying the feeling of full control. He missed it terribly. Having body felt immensely satisfying compared to being a consciousness. He relished in the feeling of the air around him, how it conformed to his movement. The power that seemed to swell in him felt amazing. Hell, breathing felt amazing to him. All the things the brat took for granted. He grimaced.

"You done?" Sasuke called. "I'm getting bored."

**"...Stop..."**Gohan said before falling silent.

"What's wrong with you?" Oozaru growled, charging Sasuke and bringing his blade down on his head.

The boy blocked it with his bare hands, swatting it away. Oozaru flipped as Sasuke performed a sweep kick and swung at his head. Dodging the attack, Sasuke thrust his palm into his chest, forcing him to retreat.

Oozaru grunted in annoyance as Sasuke resumed his fighting stance. "What…what is this? You…don't make sense." Oozaru was having trouble explaining it.

His power level was nonexistent. Like, _literally_ nonexistent. He couldn't detect him anymore than he could an insect or a rat. And yet, his attacks were connecting. What's more, they _hurt._

He fazed out, reappearing behind him with his fist cocked back. Sasuke caught his arm and threw him at a wall. Oozaru landed against it and launched at him. Sasuke ignored it and kicked back, catching the real Oozaru in the jaw as his afterimage faded. The demi rolled backward and came to a stop on his back, dazed. He jumped up and disappeared once more. He reappeared at his front with a sharp right hook and connected, only to find he was punching a mailbox. Oozaru let out a grunt frustration.

Sasuke finally spoke. "I'm disappointed, is this all you have to offer. Maybe I'm too much for you."

Oozaru whirled around to face the ninja. "As if." He snarled.

The half-sayian was suddenly filled with a desperate want, to eradicate the Uchiha. He shook his head and tried to think of a plan, but all he could draw forth was anger. The edges of his vision darkened with purple. He roared and threw his keyblade at him. Sasuke ducked and avoided it, only to realize his opponent was following fast behind it. He punched him hard in the jaw sending him spinning into a bench. Oozaru wasted no time, drawing both hands to one side, his knees bent. **"Kaaaaaaammmeee…" **A purple orb began to form in his palms. Sasuke got up slowly. **"Haaaaaaaaammmeeee" **The orb got bigger, forcing his hands further apart. Sasuke was crouching, hand to the ground, as if trying to conjure something. He wasn't going to get the chance. **"HAAAAAAAAAAAA!"** Suddenly Oozaru's arms outstretched and the orb became an enormous beam of energy.

It ripped the air and hit its target. Oozaru continued for a few more moments longer than necessary before the beam dissipated. He let his arms drop to his side, panting. "Darn…I overdid it…" He wheezed, chiding himself for wasting energy.

It was that carelessness with Cell that nearly cost him his life. Suddenly, he became aware of a chirping noise, like a thousand birds crying out over and over again. He squinted suspiciously at the Uchiha's limp form. Without warning it exploded into dust. Oozaru's face registered dull surprise as the true Sasuke rushed past him. His arm was outstretched, hand crackling weakly with electricity, then he lowered it, as if he'd already attacked. Oozaru looked down quickly, inspecting his body. "I don't get it, where'd he h—" He cut himself off with a strangled heave as crimson blossomed from his midsection and mouth. His arms wrapped tightly around his stomach in a desperate attempt to staunch the blood flow. His vision blurred and darkened. "Stpid!" He managed, words coming out short, and painful. "Carless!Shud've kwn!" He wretched, then decided it was best to quit speaking.

"Gohan!" Oozaru could've sworn someone called his (Or rather Gohan's) name… His senses were too dulled to tell.

Sasuke turned to him, grinning as Oozaru fell to his knees. "You gave a good show, I'll give you that. But I guess we won't need you after all."

"_**So that's it?"**_

Oozaru didn't have the energy to feel surprised that a voice other than Gohan's was invading his thoughts. _**"He's made a fool of you, made a mockery of your so-called power, and you'll just allow that?"**_

Sasuke walked over to him at a mocking pace.

"No!" Oozaru whispered fiercely. "No I wn't"

"_**Then use this power with your own, put this trash in his place!"**_

Darkness began to flare and convulse around Oozaru's body. "Why you..." He got to his feet, eyes hidden by his hair.

Sasuke frowned, backing away. "What's this?"

**"Stop!"**

Oozaru ignored Gohan's cry. He was a super sayian! There is no way he'd ever let some punk beat him like this. He lifted his head to glare at him, his pupils glowing yellow as his lips curled into a snarl. "Now I'm going kill you!"

"Just try." Sasuke challenged, darkness forming around him as well. A dark blade formed in his hand and the marks on his body faded as his skin darkened. His hair grew longer and he sprouted wings. "I'll tear you apart."

Gohan roared and charged him. Sasuke met his charge with equal speed and they clashed.

* * *

Yuffie watched in terror as red seemed to explode from Gohan's body. "Gohan!" she shouted. She broke into a sprint, desperately trying to reach him. By the time she got to him, Sasuke was already on the approach. She hesitated, still a few feet away from Gohan. _'Does he even notice me?' _she wondered.

The Uchiha seemed fixed on Gohan, intent to finish him. Yuffie's jaw set in determination. She wouldn't allow him the chance. Before she could rush to his defense, though, a dark aura exploded around him. She backed off, eyes wide as Gohan stood. "Now I'm going to kill you!"

"Gohan…" She whispered, horrified at her friend's change in personality.

Sasuke transformed into something hideous, and they clashed, causing quakes and convulsions. "Wait!" Yuffie cried.

It was too late. Each blow they traded was like thunder being struck. Yuffie could literally see the impact of their strikes as they hit. Yuffie looked around. She had to find some way to stop Gohan before he did something he would regret.

Her eyes settled on the bell tower. "That'll work." Yuffie muttered, an idea quickly forming in her mind.

* * *

The bell rang loudly as Sasuke smashed into it. He felt himself close to vomiting as the vibrations passed through him. Oozaru's hair began to take on a golden glow. "I won't let you make a fool of me!" He growled.

Sasuke, despite himself, looked up and smiled. "Too late."

Oozaru roared in response and lifted the keyblade over his head, aiming to split him in half, but as soon as he made contact with his head he disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Acting quickly, Oozaru whirled around to block an stab aimed at his heart. Once the weapons made contact with one another, a discharge of lightning sparked between them. Oozaru retaliated with a vicious horizontal slash, Sasuke parried it. Oozaru continued to strike relentlessly, and Sasuke began finding it increasingly difficult to defend. Oozaru suddenly brought his keyblade up in a diagonal strike, catching the Uchiha off guard. His blade was knocked out of his hand. "Now I've got you!" Oozaru growled triumphantly, smashing his hilt into Sasuke's stomach.

He doubled over, heaving and gasping for air. The next thing he new he was sent flying into the bell once again by a kick to the back. Oozaru grabbed him by his shirt collar so that he was facing him. He held the tip of his keyblade up to his neck. "Take this message to your grave. No one makes a fool of a Super Sayian."

"'_**Limit Break! Landscaper!'" **_ Oozaru was sent spiraling into a fountain by an explosion from the contact of Yuffie's gauntleted fist.

Yuffie snatched Sasuke out of the air and landed with deft roll. She set him down gently, taking a moment to appreciate the morbid irony of her saving _him, _of all people. "It's far more than you deserve." She muttered scornfully, stepping over his body.

Oozaru jumped from the fountain and stared at her, his expression a mixture of confusion and anger. "I thought we were supposed to beat these guys!" He half snarled.

Yuffie met his eyes. "Shut up."

Oozaru flinched at the cold of her words. His aura ebbed a little. "Aren't you…aren't we…friends?" He asked, anger giving way to confusion.

"Don't ever call me that. Only the real Gohan can call me that." Yuffie said as coldly as before.

Oozaru reared back as if he'd been slapped. A harsh reminder to be sure. "Right…I'm not a real anything, am I?" He whispered bitterly.

Suddenly, he clutched his head and cried out, as the sensation of having his brain squeezed assaulted him. "Go…away…" Gohan grated. "You're going…to hurt her…"

"I won't…" Oozaru began.

"GO AWAY!" He shouted.

"Gohan!" Yuffie cried.

Gohan became unsteady, swaying and struggling to remain standing. Yuffie rushed to catch him as he fell. "Are you gonna be okay?" She asked worriedly.

Gohan looked at her through half lidded eyes, though he wore a smile of relief. "Yuffie…thank goodness…afraid I'd hurt you…"

Yuffie had so many questions to ask him, but he was in no shape to answer. And even if he was seeing him vulnerable like this…that pained, broken stare…

She swallowed thickly. _'Shame on him', _She thought. _'Smiling at me and acting like he's not hurting.'_

"Idiot. You couldn't hurt me if you tried. I'm a Grand Ninja, you know." She said lightly, lifting him up.

His smile widened, more genuine now. "So I've heard." He whispered back.

His slowly shut and his head lolled to the side, Yuffie reaffirming her grip on the back of his neck. She examined him carefully. There was a large black scar on his midsection—No doubt the hit Yuffie saw when she ran outside—But it seemed to keep him from spilling blood, and other than that there were no major injuries to speak of. She looked back at the other injured boy. She'd have to come back for him. "Let's get you to Aerith, eh?" She said, moving quickly but carefully back to the hotel.

* * *

A portal opened up next to Sasuke, and a man in a black coat stepped out. "Disappointing. This may take longer than I thought originally." He said, picking the boy up and stepping back into the portal.

* * *

**A/N: Cleaned up, lengthened, and remastered. Please stop pm-ing me to continue. I'll dish 'em out when I can. Hounding me does nothing to speed the process. Read and Review. Or don't. Whatever.**


	7. Strange Bedfellows

"_You...what did you do?" Gohan asked with a quiet fury._

_Oozaru sat a few feet away, facing him. "Besides save our life?" He countered irritably. "I did what had to be done. You saw."_

"_Poor excuse!" Gohan hissed angrily._

_Oozaru bared his teeth in response. How dare he? He'd saved them both and kept his little friends safe and this was his thanks. "Why do you blame me for everything? You're the reason I'm here." He growled accusingly._

"_What are you talking about?" Gohan asked, standing._

_The sayian consciousness sprang up as well. "When Piccolo died in front of us for the first time you were furious. The anger inside you welled up until you couldn't bear it. But you didn't utilize it. You were afraid. Too afraid to deal with your own negative emotions. That's when I was given a voice. I manifested because _you_ couldn't face your anger!" He stalked up to him until their faces were inches apart. "You created me to do something you couldn't. So don't you dare judge me for doing something I was born to do!"_

_Gohan was stunned into silence as Oozaru stood back, glaring at him. "I do what I feel when I'm in control, which is only when you're having yet another emotional breakdown or self-doubt montage. And that alone feeds the anger that I—no. That _you _fostered within. You know what, brat? It's easy to judge me when you never have to make the hard decisions."_

_Gohan stayed silent, unsure of what to say. "I'm...sorry..."_

_Oozaru's anger fell away to confusion. "What?"_

"_You did what you had to do, I get that now. I should be thanking you and yet here I am, yelling at you. I'm sorry for that." He said._

_Oozaru nodded slowly, finding this reaction unexpected. "But," Gohan continued, "You've put us in danger. He hasn't gone, and we both know it. I can still feel him somewhere inside our hearts." He put a hand to his chest for emphasis._

"_I know what you're getting at." Oozaru grunted. "I won't use that power anymore."_

"_Thank you." Gohan sighed. As an afterthought, he added. "Hey, I'd like you to do something for me..."_

* * *

"Are you sure he's okay?" Yuffie asked once again.

Aerith gave her friend an exasperated smile. "Yes, for the fourth time." She said wearily.

Yuffie winced, knowing how taxing it was for Aerith to use her healing ability to such an extent. "I'm sorry, it's just..." She frowned, looking to his companion's sleeping form.

He'd seen much of this kind of fighting, too much to be healthy for someone his age. _'Strong as you are, you're still just a kid. It's only a matter of time before you break under the stress.' _She looked back to Aerith. "Can I just sit with him for right now? Alone?" She asked.

Aerith smiled and nodded. "I'll check on Naruto and go get some supplies. If anything happens, let me know."

She left through the door to the next room. Yuffie pulled a chair up next to Gohan's bed and sat. His face looked as troubled in sleep as it did in his waking moments. She placed her hands on his, holding it up. She closed her eyes and lowered her head. "Gohan. You're clearly suffering, but you'd never accept help. You've been lying to Naruto and me, about what you can do. Why? We're supposed to be friends. If not that, we're supposed to be working together. So why don't you trust us?" She squeezed his hand gently. "Please, tell me something."

She felt him stir and looked up at him. He opened his eyes, and the focused sharply. Then they fell on her. Yuffie froze. She recognized those eyes. Hard and cold and unforgiving. "You." He growled.

Yuffie stood up abruptly, releasing his hand. "Let him go." She growled back.

Other Gohan sneered. "I can't let him go. I haven't got him anywhere." He yawned and stretched. "I take it we slept well though, feels that way."

Yuffie glared at him, fists clenching. "What did you do to him?"

He gave her a dark look. "I am him. We're one and the same. Geez, I took you for an idiot, but seriously." He got out of the bed and Yuffie backed against the table warily. He sighed in frustration. "Look, _he_ asked me here. I'd like nothing more than to not have to interact with you, but here we are."

The ninja looked confused. "What, you're like his split-personality?"

"That's...as accurate as I can describe, yes..." Other Gohan said grudgingly, as if he didn't like the sound of it at all but had no better alternative.

The notion that Gohan was so damaged that his psyche was fractured in two was enough to make her cringe. "Why'd he want _you_ to come out?" Unable to hide her disdain.

And why should she? He was an angry, spiteful punk who'd kill over something so petty. He was just a monster wearing her friend's face. To her surprise, He flinched at the contempt in her voice. He glared at the floor. "Your guess is as good as mine. After all, you're content to demonize me and turn him into a damned martyr." He shifted his gaze to the door on his left. "What are you gonna tell the blonde one? That I'm darkness incarnate, trying dirty your little comrade's purest of souls?"

Yuffie folded her arms across her chest. "Anyone ever tell you that you whine a lot? Or were you coming to a point?"

Other Gohan shook his head. "I'm not looking for your approval. But I'm not the bad guy. Blame the creator for its monster."

She looked at him skeptically. "You're saying that Gohan...created you?"

He sat back down on the bed, nodding. "In a sense. It started when we were...he was kidnapped by our uncle. He saw him attacking his dad and really angry. I awakened his power for him, but I was just a red haze then, blunt instinct. Neither of us were really in control, but it was brief." He saw the look of shock on her face and rolled his eyes. "Believe me, being kidnapped by his own uncle was the least of his psychological trauma. This isn't even in the top ten."

He explained, rather quickly for Yuffie's liking, what Gohan was before he regaled her with events leading up to the attack on earth. "Wait, so you're half...alien?" She asked in confusion.

"Sayian." Other Gohan repeated.

"Right...And when your mentor—another alien—died, you could speak."

"More than that, I had control. I wanted that man dead even more than Gohan, I think." His face, for the first time, softened as his expression seemed nostalgic.

"Piccolo was an admirable mentor, one of the few that respected among Gohan's friends. It hurt to see him die. It was the first time I was angry for a reason. Angry at Piccolo for risking his life, angry at Gohan for forcing him to. Most of all I was angry at our enemies, I wanted them to suffer." He sighed, as if tired of the conversation. "It got worse from there. And eventually led to..." He stopped.

"Led to what?" Yuffie persisted.

In a flash his hair turned yellow and his eyes green, then returned to their natural color as quickly as it had come. "That."

"And what is that exactly?" Yuffie pressed once more.

"Something that's created more problems than its solved." He muttered impatiently. "I suppose we're just going to talk our lives away while these heartless amass at our doorstep?"

Yuffie got the sense that he no longer wanted to talk. "Naruto's hurt. We can't go on without him." She replied.

Other Gohan shook his head. "We have to. We can't just sit here when the others are doing our work for us. Next world we clear, we can come back for him."

Yuffie frowned. He made a lot of sense, and she had to admit that her frustration was mounting. She'd had enough of having her and her friends attacked. It was time to go on the offensive. "You're right. He'll understand." She said with a nod.

He nodded in return and started for the door, but stopped halfway. "Yuffie?"

"Hm?" The girl uttered in response.

He looked at her. "You...listened to me. You didn't have to. But you did." He inclined his head. "It was more than I expected."

She offered him a small smile. "Everyone deserves a second chance." she regarded him curiously. "I never caught your name. You've got to go by something different, huh?"

"...Oozaru..." And with that, Oozaru walked out of the door.

* * *

"He made you look quite the weakling." Riku observed, sitting atop the building in front of Sasuke.

Sasuke said nothing. Riku smirked, "Come on, cheer up. If it makes you feel better, no one expected you to beat him, much less hold out as long as you did."

"How should that make me feel better?" Sasuke snapped angrily.

"You fought him and nearly won, before he had to fall back on his dark power. For what it's worth, you're leagues ahead of the blonde kid now."

"Naruto is an insignificant hurdle." Sasuke spat with contempt. "He's not my goal."

Riku looked up at the night sky that hung perpetually over Traverse Town. One of the stars winked out. "What would your goal be then?" He asked, keeping his attention on another waning star.

Sasuke clenched his fists. "I need to kill my brother and avenge my clan. That kid's power is the only way I can truly attain that reality."

Riku hopped off the building, landing next to him. "I could help. You were almost a match for him back there. I could even the odds." He said with a smirk.

Sasuke knew where this was going. "And what do you want from me?"

Riku expression turned dead serious. "I need to find someone. And I'd like your help."


	8. Trust and Discoveries

**A/N: Ugh, this one took forever to finish. I know it's not that long, but whenever I could get to it, I'd just spend hours staring at it, wondering what I could add. With graduation coming and my job to think of, it's going to take way longer to release chapters than usual. If someone knows a good beta reader or could beta read themselves that'd make things easier on me, and make the story better. In the meantime I'll start looking for one myself, but if you guys have suggestions for beta readers, I'd appreciate them.**

* * *

The air inside of the ship was tense between the ninja and warrior as they headed toward their next destination. Yuffie had stopped long enough to let Aerith know that they'd be leaving without Naruto and asked her to pass on their apologies for leaving without him. She was convinced that between Gohan and her, they should still be able to handle it. And as the ship flew on, they were once again alone. '_Or Evil Gohan—Er, Oozaru.' _she shook her head in frustration, looking to her passenger.

He looked winded for some reason, as if the air were becoming thicker. "You alright?" She asked, deciding to focus on the stars that flew by.

"I'm fine..." He panted. "Do we know where we're going?"

Yuffie leaned back in her chair. "Don't have to. When the barriers between worlds fell, they created pathways. It's as simple as following the trail."

"Hmm..." He responded.

Silence reigned once more. It was a little funny, now that Yuffie thought about it. In an effort to understand the boy more, she felt like she understood him even less now. Instead of telling her upfront, he'd decided to use his abrasive alter ego to explain it to her. That was so roundabout and so pointless and so...so... "Cowardly..." She whispered.

It was whispered, not for fear of him hearing her, but for fear it might be true. Was Gohan, in fact, a coward? "Could I speak to Gohan?" She asked loudly.

Oozaru shrugged, then slumped. When he raised his head, he had a dazed confused look on his face. He looked to Yuffie, and seeing her face, his eyes went to the floor. "..."

She turned her seat to face him. "Well?"

"Well, what?" He mumbled.

She seethed. " 'What'? What do you mean, 'what'? How about hiding all this from me and having Mr. Sunshine dump it on me. Let's start with that 'what'!"

He sighed tiredly. "I'm not having this conversation. You wouldn't understand."

"Don't give me that..." Yuffie growled. "I know that what happened has been hard for you-"

"You don't know anything!" Gohan said harshly, silencing her. "I practically used these powers to torture someone...No one I feel sympathy for but... it doesn't change the fact that I enjoyed it, and despite the fact my arrogance cost people their lives..." He grit his teeth. "I didn't regret a thing."

Yuffie flinched and wore an injured expression, then looked down at the dashboard. "Do even trust me?"

If Gohan was surprised, he didn't show it. "...Yes."

She hugged herself, teeth clenched in anger." Then why?! Why am I having to hear this from someone else? I just wanted a straight answer from _you, _Gohan, and instead you go and do this! Why!?" She glared at him through wet eyes.

"Because I'm scared, alright?" Gohan confessed, gripping the armrests of his chair. "Naruto and you are the first actual friends I've ever had. And I really like you guys. I didn't want to scare you away with this."

Yuffie was silent, not expecting this kind of answer. Then again, she honestly didn't know what to expect from the demi sayian anymore. "Why did you change your mind?"

Gohan sighed. "They hurt you guys because of what I can do...What I am...I felt like you deserved that much." He planted his face in his hands. "I'm sorry, I was just so afraid of your reaction I...I didn't mean to put you guys in danger like this."

It was silent again, and suddenly Gohan was laughing. When he looked up at Yuffie, his cold eyes revealed him to be Oozaru once more. "You guys are like a bad soap opera. It's adorable."

Yuffie stared at him wordlessly. Oozaru smile faded and he leaned back in his chair. "You're both blowing this out of proportion."

"What do you know!?" She snapped.

Oozaru continued as if she hadn't spoken. "The boy hasn't had a friend that wasn't over the age of thirty—or an alien—not to mention the fact I'm the product of his holding everything in."

"Your point?"

"He has close to zero communication skills. He's treading different ground than he's used to, both in battle and in relationships. Browbeating him won't help anything. And what good does the information do you, really?" When Yuffie didn't answer right away, Oozaru smirked. "I thought so."

"On the other hand." He crossed his arms, redirecting his dialog to Gohan. "Your fear was pointless and its costing you the trust of your precious 'friends'. Oh, and do stop with the 'I'm a monster' pity parade. It's getting old. Now both of you kiss and make up."

As soon as he'd said his piece, Oozaru left them, Gohan returning in his place. Gohan and Yuffie looked at each other. Gohan smiled sheepishly. "Maybe we were being a bit melodramatic."

Yuffie laughed. "A bad soap opera, huh? I wouldn't say all that!"

The hybrid's smile weakened and he looked down. "So...yeah...sorry."

Yuffie punched him in the arm. "Don't be, I guess I might have pushed too hard. But Gohan, you should know this. If you ever need someone to turn to for whatever, I'll never abandon you. I'm your chick."

Gohan nodded. "Same."

The ninja raised an eyebrow, grinning. "You're my chick?"

Gohan blushed. "N-No! You know what I meant!" He sputtered.

Yuffie laughed, and it wasn't long before Gohan joined in. There literally worlds of problems going on right now, but in these moments with Yuffie, Gohan felt the weight of them lighten. He felt like he tackle the hardest challenge with a smile on his face.

* * *

"Stop." Aerith called.

Naruto knelt on the hardwood floor, panting like a dog. He'd been training with a man named Merlin, trying to assimilate his newly gained magic skill into his strategies and attacks. The results were better than he'd expected, and he even learned a couple of new spells, Fire and Thunder. But now the boy was worn out, in a surprisingly short duration considering how long his training sessions lasted back home. Merlin tsked. "Kids these days. Blow away all of their energy like its inexhaustible. If you carry on like that you're up against a strong opponent, you'll lose your edge when you need it most."

Naruto nodded. "Got it, old man."

He turned to Aerith and shot her a pleading look. She shook her head. "You should rest more. I want you to get better."

Naruto caught the concern in her voice and sighed. He found it harder and harder to say no to the pretty brunette. "Okay." He said grudgingly.

As they walked through Third District, Naruto thought on ways to improve on his technique. A certain idea passed his mind: What if he sought help from the fox? He frowned. Using the power of the a demon seemed unwise, especially with this threat of darkness becoming an issue. He shuddered at the thought of power consuming him, corrupting his sense of morality like...

Like Sasuke. He shook his head. He couldn't allow himself to be ensnared in thoughts like this. He had to keep his focus. "You wear your emotions on your sleeve, you know."

Aerith's voice broke his reverie. They were in Second District now, and hadn't even noticed. "Uh...sorry..." He muttered sheepishly.

"What's the matter?" She asked curiously.

He grinned, shaking his head. "Nothing, just kicking thoughts around."

"What thoughts?"

"Bad ones." He responded, maybe a bit too harshly.

Aerith smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

Naruto scratched the back of his head, made uncomfortable by her unexpected apology. "Don't be. It's...complicated. I..." He trailed off, catching a whiff of a familiar scent.

Aerith tilted her head to the side. "Hm?"

"That smell..." He whispered looking around, trying to discern the origin.

His eyes rested suspiciously on the fountain, and as he approached it the scent grew stronger. He directed his attention more specifically toward the ornate mural sprawled behind it. He jumped into the fountain and walked toward the mural, reaching out a hand to touch it. On contact, it began to glow. The glow spread, enveloping the picture until it was luminescent white. At its center was a stark black key shaped hole.

"Ha! I knew it!" He shouted triumphantly. He turned and ran back to Aerith. "I don't know how, but I can sniff out these things."

Aerith paled. "Something wrong with that?" Naruto asked.

Aerith's face hardened and she took an offensive position. Realizing something was wrong, Naruto whirled to face the problem. A hooded man stood imposingly at the lip of the fountain. "Interesting that such a simple minded fool could attain such a power."

The demon jailer glared at him. "What's it to you?"

"You don't seem the intelligent sort, so I'll make this as simple as I can manage." He pointed at them. "You have a strong connection with Kingdom Hearts. The heartless have a tenuous grasp on it, they roam mindlessly across worlds, using their overwhelming numbers to find through blind luck. You though...You though, you're like a bloodhound. And your heart is strong enough that you wouldn't just become a run of the mill grunt. They'd follow _you_, right to the prize."

Naruto began to get frustrated. "So what is this? An offer, or a threat?"

The hooded figure lifted his hood, revealing the grinning face of a dark haired man. "It's an offer if you'll take it. Refuse it and it's not just a threat. It's a promise."

A tome appeared in his hands. "So what'll it be?"

The blond haired boy shot him a look of disdain. "What do you think?"

The man laughed. "Figures. Very well, you'll be just as effective as a heartless anyway."

He opened his book, and in seconds, they were surrounded by heartless. "Just remember, before darkness overtakes you, I gave you an out." An with that, he summoned a portal and stepped through it.

Naruto grabbed Aerith and leapt over the heartless, landing in front of the fountain. "We've gotta protect the Keyhole." Naruto said, readying himself.

Aerith's face set with determination. "Right."

"Aerith...?"

She looked him. "Yes?"

Naruto made a handsign. "If something happens...I mean if I go crazy...stay back. Okay?" Without waiting for an answer, Naruto created an army of clones and met the horde with matched ferocity, leaving a slightly bewildered Aerith to ponder the statement before focusing on the battle at hand.


End file.
